Chickenwuss
by LickSkillet
Summary: A simple story of Seifer and Hayner... that is... if Seifer is 21 and Hayner is 17. BL maybe in later chapters, so I'll keep the rating high. AU
1. Night

Notes:

**Okay, so when editing, I need to use HTML. Still can't get the paragraph breaks to stay... I'll just have to use the lines, I see.**

My first story! I hope ya'll like it... I know my writing gets a little awkward at times, but it was hard discerning two blonde men without repeating their names too frequently. Also, if you find any typos, please tell me in a review, seeing as I can never catch them myself. YES, this will be a chapter story. As a warning now, I can go slowly with my stories, and if I'm not into it, I shan't type it. I'd hate to type a romantic scene if I was depressed and pissy, you know? Trying to pump out the best all the time...

**Disclaimers: **As much as I would love to own all the KH characters and pair them up the way they _would_ be paired if the world wasn't so afraid of ... well, you know, I don't own them. I just manipulated them for this short time.

* * *

He hadn't been paying attention, really, but it was been hard to miss the cry of indignation that rang out on the hushed, shadowy street.

No one seemed to bat an eyelash when the sickening _clack_ of bone against hard brick rang out amidst the swish of softly drizzling rain.

It wasn't hard to discern the tang of blood mingling with the scent of wet concrete.

_It's not __**your** problem, _Seifer had tried to tell himself, shoving his hands deeper in his pockets and furrowing his brow with determination, _someone is bound to notice.  
_

No one did.

A weak whimper, lilting and pathetic, echoed out from the inky darkness.

With a defeated sigh, the man turned heel and stomped into the alleyway, his eyes quickly adjusting to the gloom. A tall, broad-shouldered figure was bent over another person- a much smaller kid, whose arms were being pinned above their head as they writhed and wiggled against the damp wall. Seifer quickly took fistfuls of the back of the offender's collar and yanked. The kid who had been pinned gave a surprised yelp as he fell and slumped against the wall.

The man was much taller than Seifer, and had a lot more muscle than the blonde had originally perceived. Furthermore, after a few tense moments during which the offender had turned around and glanced –first angrily, and then with a bored air – down, Seifer realized he recognized the man.

"Rake," he spat, angrily shoving the infamous man away, as if touching him was like sticking his hands in a vat of acid. "I should've known it was you- trying to get your hands into the nearest pair of pants, as usual." The older man – Rake – gave a low, tired growl before smirking, giving Seifer the bird, and walking off.

"S'not worth my time," he muttered as he turned heel and exited the alleyway.

With Rake out of the way, Seifer focused his attention on the kid, and could feel his eyes widen when he discovered it to be a boy, clad in a thin black t-shirt and jean shorts. He'd heard that Rake would take whatever he could get but… a young boy? Kneeling and rocking back on his heels, Seifer reached out and shoved back limp, honey-blonde hair from the boy's face.

"Yo, kid, you okay?" The boy squirmed and blinked his dark brown eyes, his face pale as he groaned. Upon closer inspection, the older man was able to locate the source of the metallic, acrid, tangy scent. Blood ran freely from behind the boy's left ear, though Seifer knew that head injuries always bled profusely, even when they were merely scrapes.

" 'M fine… where-"

"Don't worry, that pedophile is long gone. Come on, let's get you the hell home." Tightly gripping the young teen by the shoulders, he pulled the boy up into a standing position and, once he was stable, turned to leave the alleyway. "Follow me, stick close. My place is just around the corner."

He didn't check to make sure that the kid was with him before he stepped out unto the sidewalk, barely a handful of people navigating the streets in the cold, wet rain. He quickly turned the corner and threw open the door to a pretty nice-looking lobby. At a fast, impatient clip, Seifer entered the elevator and held the doors for the boy, who was roughly ten feet behind him. When the doors had closed, he pressed the button for the top floor, leaned back against the polished steel walls with dark cherry wood railings, and stared intently down at his heavy leather boots. He had been about to say something, but the doors slid open with an annoyingly high-pitched and jarring ding, and Seifer gently shoved his charge from behind. He opened the door and led the way into the pent-house suite that dominated the entirety of the final floor of the building.

Kicking off his boots and throwing his white leather trench coat into a closet, the man marched into his kitchen, patted a bar stool beside the wrap-around counter, and spoke.

"I'm going to have to clean up that scrape you got behind your head, kid," he informed the blonde-haired boy as he slouched tiredly in his seat. Seifer ran hot water over a thick cloth and spun the stool around so as to get better access to the wound before he pressed the damp compress against the bloody skin, drawing a sharp hiss from the younger boy.

"Ow! That fucking hurts!"

"Oh-ho, it speaks!" Seifer teased, lifting up the cloth to examine the damage. "Well, kid, you were lucky-"

"Hayner," the boy muttered, wincing as the hot water ran against his broken skin.

"…What?" Seifer asked distractedly, icy-blue eyes glancing up and locking with warm brown ones.

"Hayner- it's my name." The teen broke eye contact and kept his gaze sideways as Seifer continued to clean the cut and the bloody streak that ran down the back of Hayner's neck. After he was sure that it was clean and that the bleeding had stopped, he slapped a flesh-colored Band-Aid on and stood back to admire his handiwork.

Outside, thunder rolled. After a few moments, lightning flashed.

"Thank you," Hayner piped up while Seifer ran the cloth under more hot water. The man could feel the boy's gaze on his back, and it unnerved him. He wasn't used to having anyone over, especially this boy who was easily five years his junior.

"Don't mention it," he replied gruffly, scrubbing soap into the bloodstains.

"…. Could I stay with you?" Seifer whirled around and saw that Hayner had his legs curled to his chest, his cheek against his knees, and he was shivering. After a few moments, he looked up and met the older man's startled gaze. "Just for tonight…"

"Ah…" Seifer tugged his black beanie off and ran a hand back through his platinum-blonde hair. As if to give him no other option, a thunderclap caused the entire room to rattle. That, and Hayner sneezed. With a sigh, the older man shrugged. "What the hell, fine- but just for the night, seeing as it's fucking dumping out and you probably have pneumonia." Hayner gave a goofy, ear-to-ear grin and hopped down from the stool, eyeing the large living area and hallway leading off to other rooms.

"So… where'll I be staying?" he asked with a perky, bright tone, turning back around to face his rescuer. Seifer mulled his thoughts over for a moment, tugging his beanie low over his head.

"Well, first, we gotta get you out of those fucking soaked clothes." The older man instructed, looking Hayner up and down as he spoke. "You can wear something of mine... they'll be big, but you'll live." With a 'follow me' gesture over his shoulder, Seifer turned and lead the way down the hall to the final room on the right. The walls were a cold slate gray with darker blue vertical stripes, and though there wasn't anything strewn on the floor and the bed was made, the room had a messy, easy feeling to it. He rummaged through his dresser and pulled out a pair of black boxers and a white, wide-shouldered wife beater.

"Bathroom just across the hall," the man stated, thinking for a second. "You can sleep on the couch."

When Hayner was settled in the bathroom, Seifer got a spare set of sheets from the hall closet and threw them haphazardly across the tan leather couch, fluffed a pillow, and threw on a thick down comforter, just because the kid was so damp and he seemed to be nothing but skin and bones. When he heard a shy ahem, Seifer turned around and took in the sight of Hayner in boxers that reached almost to his knees, and a wife beater that extended to his mid thighs. Smirking, Seifer gestured towards the couch.

"I don't have class 'til one o'clock tomorrow, so I'll take you home sometime in the morning, I guess." Hayner nodded and perched on the edge of the couch cushions, pulling the thick gray comforter around his shoulders.

"Thanks again-" the boy trailed off, and his brows rose. "You never told me your name," he pointed out, lying back against the armrest.

"Name's Seifer," the man explained, turning and waving over his shoulder before he shut off the light. "G'night, kid."

* * *

That night, Hayner's mind replayed the entire event, and it came out like a nightmare.

He'd heard rumors of Rake Anuratta – was there anyone in this city that hadn't? But no one ever thinks it's going to be them. It always happens to somebody else. Yeah, well, it was Hayner's turn to be somebody else.

The hand had come out of nowhere; grabbing unto his shirttail and yanking him back into the shadows of the damp, reeking alleyway. Before he could comprehend what was happening, Hayner had reached into his back pocket for his wallet. But Rake would have none of it. He'd quickly pinned the skater's hands above his head with an iron grip while his free hand slipped beneath the boy's waistband. When he'd try to wriggle out of the man's grasp, he'd gotten a firm slam against the wall, which left him semi-conscious.

Just at that moment, a glowing knight in shining armor had ripped the offender off of him, although it had led to his ass getting slammed against the cold, wet cement. His wrists had ached, and he had to quickly wipe tears from his eyes, but other than that, he'd been okay.

He was okay.

* * *

Seifer woke the kid up at eight in the morning and fixed him a bowl of sugared cornflakes. While the kid shoveled down the food like he hadn't eaten in months, Seifer sipped lazily at his piping hot coffee, eyes half lidded. Absently, he realized that the kid's eyes were roughly the same color as the drink, with a little more milk stirred in. When Hayner had finished, the man quickly washed the bowl, spoon, and his mug while the kid got back into his old clothes. When he was finished with the dishes, Seifer grabbed his discarded trench coat, and then proceeded to dig out an old, beaten-up sweatshirt. Without so much as a word, he thrust it into Hayner's hands as they walked out the door.

"What's this?" the boy asked, glancing from the jacket to Seifer, and back.

"It's an old sweatshirt of mine, dipshit," Seifer explained, rolling his eyes and pressing the elevator button. "It's cold out- you can wear it." With a mumbled, "Thank you," Hayner threw the old thing over his head and entered the elevator, with Seifer following. The ride down was faintly tense and awkward, although Seifer wasn't ever one to make small talk. When they reached their stop, the doors opened unto a dark underground parking garage. Before Seifer could get four feet from the elevator, Hayner whimpered and latched on to the older man, much to his dismay. But, as he took in the kid's frightened, jittery body language, he relaxed.

"Hey, kid, what's up?" The spiky-haired blonde didn't respond, his eyes focused on something far away. Sighing, Seifer shook the boy gently by one shoulder, trying to dislodge him from his right arm. "Hayner. Hey, Hayner!" As the man's voice grew louder, Hayner seemed to shake himself out of his reverie and quickly let go of Seifer, blushing fiercely.

"S-sorry, Seifer." The boy whispered, glancing at the man sideways.

"Are you okay, kid?" the man asked, cocking one brow with a doubtful expression already on his face.

"Yeah… yeah, I'm fine. It's just…" he sighed, raking a hand back through his wheat-golden locks. "It's dark in here. I don't think I'll ever feel the same about the dark." He bowed his head, but didn't say anything else, so Seifer continued on.

"Yeah, well, you're safe here, chickenwuss" he teased gruffly, unlocking his silver sedan and revving the engine while Hayner climbed in the passenger side. "So, where to?"

"Uh… Mello Drive…" Hayner muttered, seemingly distracted. They drove the car out of the lot and slowly meandered down the gray, cold streets, Seifer turning up the seat heaters on the kid's side. With a sideways glance, the man was actually able to notice how gaunt the boy was. He wasn't skinny, really, and he seemed to have some muscle in his arms… there looked to be at least a little bit of fat on his bones. But, overall his skin almost seemed translucent, like a thin layer of porcelain- he looked breakable. With a sudden stab to the heart, Seifer struggled to fight down the near-overwhelming urge to protect the boy- to make sure that nothing like last night ever happened again.

That said, Hayner did seem to have a little fire to him, and he didn't look weak, he just looked… tired, lost. The teen noticed Seifer's gaze and the man quickly averted his attention back to the road, searching for the street sign that would give him a reason to get off the main thoroughfare.

"Turn here," Hayner pointed out, an underlying tone of harshness sharpening the otherwise neutral words. Seifer smoothly turned unto the house-lined street and drove until Hayner pointed out where to stop.

"Geeze, kid, you were kinda far from home last night." The man mumbled, raising a brow at the teen. Hayner scowled and shrugged, opening the door and stepping out. Before he closed the door, however, he turned around and fixed Seifer with a soft, tired glance.

"Thanks again, Seifer," he started, shaking his head. "I really, really mean it." Seifer couldn't stop the large grin that spread across his face.

"Yeah, whatever. Now get out of my sight, you mooch."

Hayner laughed, and the carefree expression on his face lifted a weight on his shoulders Seifer hadn't been aware he'd been carrying. Without even bothering to make sure the teen got into his house, the man turned his vehicle around, tires screeching, and shot out of the suburban neighborhood.

* * *

Hayner brought his fist against the door for the second time, although he did it with a little bit more force. Finally, the door opened and revealed Seifer, in baggy cargo pants, a black, tight-fitting t-shirt and the black beanie that seemed to be all but glued to his follicles.

"Hey, chickenwuss," Seifer muttered, clearly surprised. Hayner grinned sheepishly, holding out a lump of brown cloth.

"Last week, when you… I totally forgot to give you back your sweatshirt." Seifer glanced down at it a moment before he took it in hand, examining it. The boy couldn't help but feel a little bit angry at how the man was probing the old rag, as if he thought Hayner would have damaged it.

"Do you… wanna come in?" Seifer offered, gesturing into the condo. Hayner felt his stomach convulse as he caught the whiff of breakfast, and then guilt twisted his intestines as he realized how early he'd come by.

"Yeah," Hayner whispered, shrugging and avoiding eye contact by staring at Seifer's dark-grey combat boots. "Yeah, I'd like that."

* * *

Hayner made it a habit to show up for breakfast. Seifer didn't mind, really, though the kid didn't need to know that. After the initial shock from the boy that the older man could cook – and quite decently, one might add – they had become comfortable and thrown around idle chitchat.

Sometimes, when the younger boy wouldn't show up, Seifer would pace restlessly around the suite, cleaning his room, organizing his little-more-than-meager DVD collection, flipping his cell phone open and closed incessantly while sitting on a stool and not eating a bite of food.

On the days that Hayner would show up, Seifer was relieved of the heavy burden on his shoulders that became marginally more and more noticeable the longer that the teen was gone. He wouldn't let any of these emotions, show, however; his beanie was pulled low enough to obscure his over-expressive eyebrows, and his lip were set in a permanent neutral line.

"Where'd your get that scar?" Hayner had asked one morning between shoveling mouthfuls of scrambled egg into his mouth. Seifer looked up and rubbed absently at his forehead, down which a jagged scar ran, ending at the middle of his nose- when had the kid been given a chance to notice it?

"In an accident," the older man mumbled, washing his dishes in the sink.

"Liar!" the boy hissed back. Seifer whirled around, a harsh glare on his face, though it softened when he saw Hayner's playful smirk. "You're horrible at lying," Hayner explained, averting his gaze down at his food. How could the kid already know him that well? With a sigh, the older man settled down in a stool next to Hayner's and cradled his chin in his hands.

"It was stupid, really," he started, vivid images coming to life every time he blinked. "I'd been walking home when I was in… junior year, I think. I passed through this little park every time I walked home, and there was this bridge… when I was halfway across it, I heard these voices…" Seifer clenched a fist out of Hayner's sight, his blood pressure rising at the memory. "It was that damned little shit, Rake Anuratta … and he had some little sixth grader pinned up against the concrete wall beneath the bridge, and the boy's pants were down around his fucking ankles…" Now, Seifer's eyes screwed shut and he ground his teeth. "I had no idea what I was doing, I just jumped in and yanked the asshole back and threw a punch. I was mostly lucky that I hit his face… Well, he was pissed. At first he was just punching me, and most of those I could avoid, but then he pulled a knife on me. I honestly didn't know what he'd done to me until I was getting blood in my eyes. But I didn't stop… Finally, Rake left. I can't begin to tell you why, he just did. So I took this kid – god, he was a fucking baby – and I pulled up his pants and I carried him over to a busier part of the park, and I told some people what happened. …And that's pretty much it. We were both taken to the Hospital, and, needless to say, Rake got away."

Seifer turned to face Hayner, though the small smirk that had been plastered to his lips fell away when he took in the boy's ashen face and wide, deer-in-the-headlights eyes.

"Kid?" Seifer's eyebrows rose and his face contorted in confusion and worry. Had mentioning Rake brought out some sort of emotional response? Was the kid about to go into some sort of shock? For some reason, he was stabbed through with guilt at the thought that he had affected Hayner this badly. He'd been trying so hard to keep tabs on the kid, keep him out of trouble by letting him over whenever he could… But, even as he was worrying, the man couldn't help but think that the expression on the teen's face was familiar.

"Hayner?" he tried again, hoping that maybe hearing his name would jar the boy. Reflexively, Seifer reached out a hand and put it against the side of Hayner's face. Oddly enough, he had to fight to bite back an exhalation when the kid leaned into the touch. The kid blinked once, his eyes no longer scared, his face returning color. Quickly, a new expression took over his face- awe, wonderment, and disbelief.

"It… it was you?"

* * *

EndNotes:

I kind-of know where I'm going with this. Maybe some of you can see some inspiration from some of my "favorite"-d stories. I have a feeling that it's going to be hard writing the next chapter. I'm so tempted to just say SCREW THE PLOT and make them just have sex on the floor. But no. I need to be strong. :'(


	2. Day

**Chapter Notes:**

This chapter is shorter than the first one- just barely two pages. I tried to go through and thicken it up… I don't know if it did much. I just thought that this would be a good place to leave it… all cliff-hanger-y? …idk. I just think that this is going a little too fast, so I had to slow it down with this… filler, I guess you could call it. I need to collect myself and think about where this is going, because all too often my stories are incapable of finding endings. Anyway- enjoy.

PS: THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO FAVORITED AND SUBSCRIBED AND REVIEWED!! This is the best response that I have ever, ever received. Ever. I love you guys. Also, I should say now that Rake is not my character- he is the creation of a friend of mine.

**Disclaimer: **Like ya'll don't know...

* * *

"It… it was you?"

Hayner couldn't believe it- all these years of thinking that he'd never be able to find his rescuer- the high schooler who, for all intensive purposes, had saved his life- and he'd been having breakfast with the man for almost a month. Still in a state of shock, he simply let himself curl into the older man when he was pulled in for a rough hug, tucking his face in at Seifer's neck.

Ever since that fateful day, Hayner had wanted nothing more than to find and thank the high school student that had saved him. He had known the older boy from struggle matches in the past, but, after the rescue, he'd stopped showing up.

That wasn't to say that he hadn't seen the young man around- but he had always been with some girl and a friend… he wasn't about to run up to the guy and spill his guts with other people around.

And, things were made complicated by the fact that Hayner began to … well… notice things. Like how intensely blue Seifer's eyes were, or how well muscled the older teen was. He'd chalked it up to jealousy at the time, and after a few weeks, forced himself to stop looking for his savior, and soon afterward began to date a girl he'd been friends with for a while, Olette. She had been enough to squash his worries and fears, but they were all coming up again here, and it was almost too much.

Fighting the urge to let loose a wavering sob – and destroy what was left of his pride and strength – Hayner clutched at Seifer's t-shirt and bit down harshly on his chapped lower lip.

"Kid?" a gruff voice above him murmured, heavy with apprehension. The teen could easily imagine Seifer's lost, wary expression, and he chuckled darkly. Dislodging himself from the older man's grasp, Hayner sighed and smiled shakily.

"Sorry, Seifer- I'm okay." The boy whispered, raking a hand back through his honey locks. Seifer chortled, low and dark, shaking his head, but it was cut off. Hayner was surprised when he felt a dry, cracked thumb run beneath his eye. Oh god- was he crying? His stomach knotted, the nausea a wave that threatened to knock him off his stool.

"Shit, Hayner, I'm sorry. Are you okay?" The emotional depth to the older blonde's voice caused Hayner to lock gazes with the older man, and the teen was shocked by the amount of worry hidden in the icy blue eyes. "I didn't realize…"

"No really, I'm okay. I'm… I'm just happy, I guess. I've always wanted to find you, and thank you." Suddenly feeling awkward, the teen avoided eye contact and worried his hands together. He hopped down from the stool and faced the doorway, sighing once. "And… well… then you go and save me again… The odds are really in your favor now, Seifer." With a deep breath, Hayner delved into his half of the story.

"I looked for you, you know," he started, making sure to keep his back to Seifer. "You had been my opponent in Struggleball matches, and I'd seen you around during warm ups and practices. It was really, really hard for me to find you when you stopped showing up. But, _hell_, I did – find you, I mean – and you were always with your friends…" Realizing how much of stalker he sounded like, Hayner was glad that the older man couldn't see his face change tint dramatically. "I could never find a chance to thank you, just you, alone. And then, I ... I just forgot about you," he lied, worrying his lip again as he turned back around to face the blue eyed blonde.

"Jesus Hayner, I-"

"Stop, Seifer. Please. I'm just going to say thank you, here and now, and then I'll be out of your hair," he interrupted, clenching his jaw and refusing to shut his eyes. The pain in Seifer's expression was nearly unbearable, and it took all of the young teen's focus to keep from thinking about why it hurt so much to see. His fist tightened around the doorknob and he slowly opened the door, standing in the doorway as he took a deep breath.

"Thank you, Seifer."

And then he was gone.

* * *

Seifer had hoped that, after a few days, the kid would come back.

After a week, the man noticed a beat-up, graffiti-ed old skateboard lying in a small alleyway between the elevator and the wall, hidden behind a fake plastic plant.

Two weeks had wrapped up, and then, the quiet man allowed himself to worry. Not being able to know where the kid was, or to even be able to hear from him and make sure he was okay was beginning to affect his sleep. Black, faded half-moons hung beneath his intense, blood-shot gaze. Some nights, he'd wake up in a sweat, the young teen's name still on his tongue.

Finally, three weeks after Hayner had walked out on him, on his way home from work, a small group stepped out into Seifer's path, arms out at their sides. One was a girl, her hair in tight brown, thick waves. The other two were male – one pudgy with black hair, the other almost as tall as himself with blonde, short and spiky hair. With a pang, he was reminded of Hayner.

"Are you Seifer?" the blonde growled, eyeing the man up and down, his expression faintly disapproving.

"Who wants to know?" Seifer barked back, squaring his shoulders and straightening out his spine. The blonde teen bristled and took a loaded step forward, but the girl's arm shot out and restricted him.

"Cool it, Roxas," she hissed authoritatively, green eyes flashing. Turning to face the older man, she smiled genuinely, though she also looked him up and down with a searching gaze. Feeling violated, Seifer attempted to push past.

"Any way that I can help you twerps?" he sneered, not very surprised when fatty and grumpy blocked his exit.

"The only reason we're here is because of Hayner, jackass," Roxas spat. Against his will, every muscle in Seifer's body froze in reaction the teen's name. Taking a moment to collect his tidal wave of emotions, the man turned around to face his would-be captors, one blonde brow arched carefully.

"Where the _hell_ is he?" he rumbled, trying to keep his voice purely angry without a trace of worry. Roxas's sneer was mocking as he rolled his shoulders in a shrug. The girl spoke up now, her voice a light tinkle, like wind chimes.

"We're worried about him," she murmured, clearly realizing that they had Seifer's attention now. "He mentioned you almost two months back… he seemed to like you. But … about three weeks ago he's been in this _mood_- I can't explain it. He's so depressed, and he's lashing out at everyone. To be blunt, Seifer, I'm afraid of what he'll do to himself."

Seifer's blood ran cold as his mind cruelly brought up images of Hayner; wrists slit, gun to his head, noose dangling from his stairwell. Shaking the disturbing imaginings away, he collected himself – again – and dug a hand meaningfully into his back pocket, drawing out an average, dull grey key. Trying to keep the intensity of his emotions from showing, he nonchalantly reached out and put the key in the girl's small, cold hand.

"If you see him, give that to him; I have to give him back his board." Finished, he turned heel and waved over his shoulder, not allowing the strange gang one more minute to toy with his emotions.

When he was sure he was out of their sight, he broke into a wild sprint and raced towards his pent house, breaking into the lobby and whisking up the stairs, trying his best to wear himself out.

He ripped off his coast, collapsed on the couch, and saw the blanket still lay, folded, on the armrest. Like a child, he gripped it for dear life and wrapped it around his shoulders, inhaling the strange scent that still clung to it.

Seifer was not a man of emotions- he never allowed himself to get anything other than angry, because anger was power, strength, and it gained respect. Curling up in the fetal position on the couch, clutching your hair, as you fight for control of your emotions- that's not strength. No one raised him to be that way; he just never felt a need to show any more emotional response than anger. Never before in his life had he felt this strangling need to see someone. Never before had he collapsed from emotional stress, emotions pulling him in every imaginable direction. They were new sensations, and Seifer was utterly alone in them.

"I have to find you, chickenwuss," he murmured determinedly to himself, before he fell asleep.

* * *

EndNotes:

Sorry that it's so short... I'm not going to repeat the notes from the top.

Reviews will help me write the third chapter, since this one is going to be so awkward (writing wise) and hard. (


	3. Coffee

**Chapter Notes: **

Well, I think I have to say that writing from Seifer's point of view is much more fun, because it's a lot more fun to focus in on the emotional side of the story. Still, there will be times when I'll have to put in Hayner's two cents, but that's why I'm glad that I've set it up this way.

**PS:** MORE TERRIFIC REVIEWS. :D I'm so pleased by the response, you have no idea. And yes, I'm sorry for the teaser last chapter, but I am a little sadistic. Bear with me. ; This chapter is dedicated to someone- they know who they are. For being a kick-ass muse and helping me through a lot of writing blocks- I hope you like this, bitch.

**Disclaimer:** This is my twisted reality in which people that have the same names and look JUST LIKE the KH characters are used. So… maybe they are mine! –Twilight Zone Musac-

* * *

At 8 AM on Saturday, Seifer rode the slow ride down to the underground garage. The darkness made the man shiver, and the ghost of Hayner's death grip around his arm didn't help. Swallowing thickly, throwing his muscular shoulders back and pulling down on his black beanie, he marched purposefully to his car and revved the engine before shooting out of the garage like a bat out of hell. He paid no heed to the speed limit, making it to the suburban neighborhood in half the time it had originally taken. All the way his heart pounded idiotically as he began to think about what to say, and what to do. He knew that he had to do this before he lost his nerve, and his sense of purpose.

It took him a minute to remember which house had been Hayner's; when he found it he quickly threw his car into the driveway and strode up to the door, slamming his fist against the red-painted wood, the beaten up old skateboard tucked beneath one arm. After some impatient fidgeting on his part, the door opened and revealed a middle-aged, squat, spherical man with a huge bald spot surrounded by thin black hair. He looked understandably annoyed and tired; it was pretty early.

"Yes, what can I do for you?" he slurred sleepily, glowering up at Seifer.

"Um… I'm here to talk to Hayner," the blonde man explained, feeling like a young boy under the gaze of a scrutinizing parent.

"Who?" the man grumbled, sleepily rubbing one eye. Seifer raised a brow, wondering how bad of a parent one person could be.

"Your son, Hayner-?" he realized suddenly that he didn't even know the kid's last name.

"My son?" The man burst into short, snort-filled chuckles, his chin flaps wobbling with the vigorous movement. "I don't have any children- I'm not even married!" he exclaimed, spit flying from his puffy lips as he shook his head slowly from side to side once he had calmed down. "You've really got the wrong house, buddy." Before Seifer could begin to comprehend what the obese gentleman had said, the door was closed quietly in his face, leaving him abandoned on the front steps, skateboard in hand.

* * *

It couldn't be a case of mistaken house identity- although he hadn't been paying _close_ attention, every house on the block looked radically different in design and color. Stunned beyond words, the man gradually shuffled over to his car and threw the skateboard in the backseat before he smoothly, slowly drove out unto the main street.

Why had Hayner made him drive all the way out there if that wasn't even his house? Was it because the kid lived in a poor part of town, and hadn't wanted to make a bad first impression? Whatever the reason, as he parked his car and began to climb the stairs up to the top floor, Seifer's original confusion and worry began to ebb into anger and frustration. Now he had absolutely no way to contact the little lying shit unless he saw him or one of his friends wandering around- a chance encounter that would be hard to have, considering the size of the city.

By the fifth floor, he was beginning to feel a little less angry- exercise was good for that. Yet, by the time he'd reached the eighth floor, he missed the anger compared to the hollow, wrenching feeling that had settled in his intestines. Along with that came a throbbing ache in his chest akin to disappointment that the boy hadn't chosen to trust him. Add that up and mix in a headache with the same amount of pain as a bullet to the brain and, yes, anger really was a better emotion.

By the eleventh floor, Seifer could barely breathe as he fought to contain his feelings. He'd become too tired to really think things through, thank God, but the headache was getting worse, and the panicky worry was setting in across his neck and shoulders.

"If this keeps up," he spat loudly as he opened the door to the twelfth floor and then the door to his penthouse, "I'm going to be a fucking cripple before the day is up."

"If what keeps up?" an innocent voice inquired from within the room. Seifer's first response was fear and anger at the thought of a break in, but, as he turned and faced the couch, it all melted away – along with the headache, the hollow wrenching feeling, the aching chest, and the heavy bar of worry pressing across his shoulders.

"Hayner-!" he breathed, a grin spreading his lips apart. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he was aware of his heart quietly exploding.

After the initial shock and blossoming relief, Seifer's hands tightened into white-knuckled fists as the anger pounded away at his temple.

"You little shit!" he roared, chucking the skateboard straight at the teen without a second thought. The boy ducked, eyes wide as dinner plates, and the board clattered against the entertainment system. "How the _hell_ can you just come in here, acting like nothing's wrong, sitting on the flippin' couch-"

"Seifer, what…!" Hayner leapt up and backed as far away from Seifer as he could get, his expression wary.

"Do you have any _fucking_ idea what I went through today? Why the hell did you lie to me, Hayner?" His volume began to lower and he was able to keep his tone in check as he slowly approached the couch and gripped tightly at the back, taking deep breaths in through his nose. This was too much to handle, this roller coaster of sadness and anger and happiness and worry, all combining into one huge wave of nausea and pain. Coming closer, Hayner's face paled as the words sunk in.

"I… I never thought that I'd see you again. What would it matter if I lied to a complete stranger?" he muttered, hands nervously clenched at the bottom of his shirt.

"Yeah, and then you came back, and I-" Seifer ripped off his beanie and shoved a hand back through his hair. "After practically a month you still didn't think it was worth it to share that with me? It would've been nice to tell me at least before you fucking ran away, chickenwuss!" Closing the distance between them in one easy jump over the back of the couch, the man reached out and shoved the teen back roughly; the only thing he could think to do.

"Shit, Seifer! I'm sorry- why the hell were you even looking for me?"

"Because you left your stupid ass board here," Seifer growled, throwing his gaze to the beat up chunk of wood before returning his fire-hot glare to Hayner. "I could ask the same as to why the hell you were sitting on my couch before I even got home."

"Olette gave me the key, told me that it was from you," Hayner whispered, staring with rapt fascination at the circular floor rug on which he was standing. "So, I figured I'd come by and say that I was sorry for just leaving the other day…"

"OH kid, you owe me a lot more than a simple apology," Seifer muttered, picking up his cap from the couch cushions and pulling it low over his head. "Look," he sighed, "How about I make us some coffee, and then you can tell me _everything_."

* * *

During the entirety of the coffee's brewing, neither male said a word until the hot drink was done.

"It's plain black coffee, since I don't know what you like," Seifer muttered, shoving the ceramic mug, another smaller cup with milk, and a large, diner-sized sugar shaker towards the teen before taking a sip of his own black coffee lightened with a splash of whole-fat milk and exactly half of a regular spoonful of sugar. "Now, talk."

Hayner averted making eye contact as he stirred in the provided ingredients.

"I never really knew them," he started, shrugging as a small smile came across his face, though it didn't reach his eyes. "So I guess I'm lucky there. My mom died early on, something she never recovered from when she … when I was born. There were rumors that she was weak to begin with, rumors that my dad used to beat her, even when she was pregnant. I was two years old when my dad left me at the citywide orphanage, and only ten when I decided to run away. It was so depressing there… all the parents would file in, they'd clean the place out, but it was always the same every time. Would-be-parents always want a baby- either because they're cute, or because they want to have the child think of them as their birth parents. Whatever the reason, I was too old, like a lot of the other kids there, but only I was brave enough and smart enough to get out of there while I could." He paused to take a sip from his somewhat cooler drink, still not looking Seifer in the eye. "Yeah, they looked for me, at first… maybe four to six months, I don't really remember. I was able to make some alliances – Pence, Olette, and Roxas, you met them earlier this week." For the first time, Hayner looked up and gazed sheepishly at Seifer, as if to apologize for his friend's actions. "I always stayed with them… or on the streets."

Across the counter, Seifer gave a huffing sigh as he rubbed the back of his neck. He knew it was Hayner's chance to spill, though, so he didn't say a word as the teen collected his next words.

"I met Rake when I was in sixth grade. He … he was tutoring me. The first time he ever did anything... out of the ordinary was the day he jumped me that day under the bridge, though," he added hurriedly, a thick blush rising up from the base of his neck. "… That pretty much brings you up to date, yeah?" Seifer was staring intently at the younger boy, who squirmed under the penetrating gaze.

"Sheesh, Hayner…. You're right out of some prime-time soap opera." After the boy released a wry chuckle, Seifer became serious. "But, come on, kid, why couldn't you just _tell _me? You should have seen the fat, disgusting ass that I had to deal with today looking for you. That, and …" he petered out, distracting himself by taking a long sip of his practically cold coffee. He had to get this out, and he knew every word that would appear in the simple explanation- they just didn't want to go out under the spotlight. The smarter, logical half of his brain wouldn't let him say it, while the other, more whimsical side of him pushed that it was the right thing to do- what did he have to lose, really? With a steadying breath, he reached out and put his hand over Hayner's, earnestly fighting back a blush. "And, if you… you know, ever need me, and shit… _**I**_ need to be able to find you."

Hayner's face contorted for a moment- first what Seifer interpreted as shock, then worry, then guilt, and, finally, gratefulness. Then, of course, the one thing that Seifer couldn't handle; tears. They started slow, just running from his eyes like a leaky faucet; if he hadn't been looking close, he would have missed it. And then, the sobs wrenched from the teen's throat, and Seifer felt a wave of nauseating guilt and a rush of awkwardness as he slid from his stool and wandered slowly around the counter, thinking about what to do. As if to accent the moment, Hayner brought up small fisted hands and pressed them against his eyes, biting down harshly on his lower lip as if to stifle a scream. In a rush of protective instinct, the man reached out and brought the boy against his chest with a thud, one hand twisted in the blonde waves while the other was down beneath the curve of his waist. Hayner hiccupped once before pushing gently away and standing up straight; Seifer let the hand on his hair fall away, though he kept the other hand hovering, afraid the kid might faint on him, or something close to it. Their eyes locked- Hayner's a warm, liquid brown, brimming with moisture, Seifer's icy blue, conflicting emotions like a brewing storm, though he kept his mouth in a firm, neutral line. The teen's lips quivered, his hands uselessly laid against Seifer's flat stomach. Out of seemingly nowhere, a hot red blush illuminated the skater's cheeks, and the man felt a rush of fire pooling just below where Hayner's hands lay.

Seifer fell, then- at least, his head did. It wasn't that far of a drop, just a few inches downwards until their lips gently brushed, a sensation like touching a charged piece of plastic and receiving a solid shock. It almost hurt, and Hayner gasped and pushed back. The look in the boy's eyes – a mix of panic and primal fear – broke through the haze in Seifer's mind. Hayner had turned and walked away, and now his forehead was leaning against the large windows on the far wall. Tentatively, on the edge of another, further fall, Seifer edged closer, his mind thankfully silent of all logic and whimsy, just a simple need to get close and make sure that the boy was okay, that he hadn't just ruined everything. The light coming in through the glass was a little too bright, even though a heavy layer of cloud cover marred it. But, even in the dulled light, it was hard to hide how red Hayner's cheeks were, or how unsure the glint in his eye was as the man stared at the teen's reflection in the glass. Swallowing thickly, thin beads of sweat rolling down the back of his neck, Seifer was struck with one thought that caused the sensation in his stomach to flutter faintly. Hayner had pushed away, but he hadn't _left._

Closing the gap between them, Seifer brought his arms around the teen and spread his palms out, one above the other, across Hayner's stomach. He could feel his own pulse in his throat with every breath. Tentatively, reading Hayner's every move, the man placed his chin on the skater's shoulder, facing the nape of his neck. He pressed his lips gently against the beating pulse, unable to resist the sigh that ripped through his lungs when he felt all the stress in him melt away. Hayner squirmed, but when Seifer took a chance to read the teen's expression, his chocolate eyes were closed, a blissful smile lifting up his lips at the corners.

Taking a mad leap, Seifer moved his hands down and then up underneath Hayner's t-shirt, marveling at how smooth and soft the skin felt. There was no worry now, no hesitation; all he wanted to do was explore, to learn about every inch of the boy's skin. It was much too easy to forget how the skater was years younger. Hayner turned in his arms; Seifer froze, afraid he'd done something wrong. The boy looked up at him, the warm chocolate eyes no longer hesitant- they were calm as he reached up and took the older man's scarred face in his hands, using it as leverage to pull himself up and engross the two in a heated kiss. The fire spread up from Seifer's stomach, the sensation causing him to moan as his resolve disappeared and he kissed back, sandwiching Hayner against the wall. The young blonde's tongue darted out in a surprisingly bold move, running along the seam of Seifer's lips. His head spinning and his thoughts blank, Seifer's lips parted almost immediately, the two male's tongues darting out simultaneously to battle for supremacy. Seifer was partly aware of the loud panting keen that Hayner emitted when he bit down on the blonde's lower lip with a possessive growl, while his calloused hands continued their goose bump inducing wanderings. When his hands reached the teen's chest, he worked one nipple between his fingers, muffling the loud, low moans by pressing his lips harder into the kiss.

"S-seifer!" Hayner gasped, breaking the kiss and throwing his head back with a resounding _bang_ against the windowpane. Seifer's hands whipped out and up, reaching to cradle the blonde's head against further pain, leaning their foreheads together with an amused smirk.

"…Kid," He finally panted, unable to bring himself to actually say his name, "What the _fuck_ are we doing?"

Hayner growled and surged up to engage in a bruising kiss, barely able to tangle his hands in Seifer's short hair.

"Do we really have to discuss this **now**?" Hayner mumbled against dry lips before drawing back and pulling his shirt over his head in a fluid motion. Seifer could only stare as the cloudy light illuminated the smooth, flat plane of Hayner's stomach, the gentle, sloped bulge of thin biceps moving beneath the faintly tan skin; it was too beautiful. Uttering a low oath, Seifer attached his lips to Hayner's neck and ran a string of kisses up to the ear lobe and down to the collarbone, getting a thrill from the way Hayner shivered and went slack in his arms. The heat in his stomach began to pool lower; Hayner's hands came up from being limp to press against his chest and pushed them apart. Still a little breathless and stunned, Seifer's brow furrowed as he took in Hayner's clouded, half-lidded eyes. Coming around a bit, the teen looked down between them and then back up at Seifer, a blush deepening on his cheeks to almost a shade of maroon. Seifer looked down, his gaze shooting back up quickly as the message sunk in. He began to untangle his hands from Hayner's hair and tried to build a gap between them, though the skater clung tightly to his shirt, making that a little harder than it should have been.

"I…Hayner," He stumbled over the name, trying to hold the tide of reality at bay, fighting to not ruin the moment. Smooth hands reached up, cupping his cheeks, one thumb caressing the scar tissue. Hayner smiled, eyes still half-lidded. Seifer shifted his weight back, moving one leg forward and between Hayner's thighs, a shiver shooting down his spine when Hayner groaned and arched his back, eyes fluttering closed.

"Seifer… _please,"_ he panted, and Seifer knew he had no willpower against a plea like that. He was putty in this young man's – he couldn't think _boy's_ – hands. He'd wanted only to explore, to learn, to _taste_, but it had been out of his control the minute he'd let go, the minute he'd decided to not walk away, but to step forward and initiate. He knew he couldn't walk away now any more than a pig could learn to fly. He had set this into motion, and he had to finish it.

That wasn't to say he didn't **want** to finish it, but he knew that, come morning, he wouldn't be able to look Hayner in the eye. Hayner had been vulnerable, in need of comfort when Seifer had pressed their lips together for the first time. Even now, as he pressed his fingers against Hayner's stomach and deftly played his fingers along the waistband of the teen's cargo shorts, he felt a stab of guilt and self-loathing that he wasn't being the adult in this like he should have done from the very start.

He swooped Hayner up into his arms, his legs quickly wrapping around Seifer's waist as the man quickly walked toward his bedroom, locking his lips with Hayner's in an effort to create the haze again and lighten the serious, logical thoughts swirling in his mind. That, and he was horrified to find that he was already addicted to the flavor that the teen had and took every chance he could to thrust his tongue in the other's mouth to taste it. As gently – and safely – as he could, he threw his one-night-stand unto the bed in the dead center of the room, headboard pressed against the far wall from the doorway. Hayner's gaze was no longer hazy and unaware; his eyes were burning, an indecently sexy, expectant smirk splitting his face as he shimmied up to the top of the bed and placed his head back against the pillows, his hair fanning out around his face in weakly gelled disarray. Seifer groaned and lunged, landing with his knees on either side of the blonde's waist, his fingers quickly undoing the buckle to a belt and then the zipper to the pants, suddenly blood-lust-eager. Hayner's hips rose to his touch, which only caused his own reminder of how much he wanted this to throb embarrassingly. Fighting back the red-hot blush, he gingerly removed the last article of clothing on the boy that was spread eagerly beneath him. He felt a sort of gratitude, unexplainable in no other way than the way one would feel towards someone who allowed them to lay eyes upon their most precious possession. Hayner hissed as the waistband was moved down, the only change in his expression a brief lowering of his eyelids.

When he took the time to examine all that lay before him, Seifer made a – in his mind – dire decision. He could not have him, now, even though Hayner was eagerly offering himself up to him. It wasn't even the age difference; Seifer's mind was too full to think of that. It was just that he didn't think that Hayner deserved that, that the moment would be thus ruined. That would be the one line he would not cross this night.

Seifer locked gazes with Hayner for a long minute, reading every emotion brewing within those warm brown eyes. Hayner made an impatient noise in the back of his throat and reached up, trying to find purchase. Seifer leaned his head down, letting his face be tugged roughly down for a chaste kiss, to remind him what he had felt just minutes before- eagerness and lust.

"Go ahead," Hayner whispered, his voice weak and wavering. It was the only invitation Seifer needed, the icing on the cake. He pulled back – not before biting and pulling on the boy's already swollen lower lip – and repositioned himself on the bed. Taking a deep, steadying breath, he leaned down again and kissed at Hayner's inner thigh, slowly heading northward. When he reached the base of the teen's arousal, his tongue lashed out and he swiped in an upward streak before cutting to the chase and taking him, completely, into his mouth. Hayner shuddered and moaned above him, but Seifer was past listening. His eyes fell closed as he found a rhythm of ups and downs, occasionally stopping and licking sensually before resuming the original pattern. Soon, Hayner's hips began to jerk in time with his movements, then he gave an upward spasm and stayed locked in that position before he emptied himself, falling limp after a few moments.

The two of them both panting – though Hayner a little faster – Seifer removed his shirt and crawled up, lifting Hayner awkwardly and moving the covers over them both and allowing the blonde to curl up against his chest. Licking his lips clean, Seifer planted a slow, calm kiss on Hayner's forehead, and then the two fell in a warm, deep sleep.

* * *

The light was coming in too brightly, but it was too… opaque. Hayner groaned and rolled over, the nights past events playing back behind his eyelids. He remembered Seifer's tongue, the hard, well defined abdominal muscles of the older man's chest, the gentle touch of lips on his forehead. Yawning and exhaling, he stretched out and turned to face Seifer, opening his eyes and finding the other side of the bed empty. Empty, that is, except for a sheet of paper, folded neatly into thirds. Making sure to keep himself covered, Hayner sat up and pulled the note over, unfolded it, and read the uneven chicken scratch.

"Hayner,

I'll admit I was sorry to leave you. I'm sorry for last night, too. Your clothing is folded and lying on the top of the dresser, there's cereal in the cabinet. I'm not going to take away your key, or tell you to never come back… I can't, knowing what I do now. My cell number is on the bottom of this note; call if you need _**anything**_.

Seifer Almasy"

* * *

**EndNotes:**

Oh, my god. You guys have no idea how long this took me. Well, maybe you do… But, I mean, it took me upwards of one hour to write simply a paragraph. It was really hard to get out the ideas right, and I'm sure some of you will still read something and not have any idea what I was trying to say. I tried to keep this tasteful… I know, I know, too much foreplay… but I just felt like I'd drawn it out enough and… well it was really awkward. Overall, my favorite chapter yet. Hopefully it's what you guy wanted.

Oh, and btw... Does anyone know a good song to listen to while writing BL scenes?


	4. Together

**Chapter Notes: **All right… Here we go.

**Disclaimer: **Yeah, yeah, yeah.

* * *

An hour and a half drive out from the city, on a rock stabbing out into the cresting ocean waters, Seifer stood and brooded, hands shoved deep into his trench coat pockets. The cold, biting scent of the salty water made it easier to forget the night before and clear his head. When he'd woken this morning, the man had been prepared to hate himself and not be able to look at Hayner without a wash of guilt, but what he hadn't expected was the wave of nausea and the dry heaves he'd had when he'd made it into the bathroom.

He'd never slept with a man before. He'd never felt any sort of lust or want after a male's body, touch, caresses, and kisses the way he had last night. The worst part was that he hadn't even thought of Hayner as any sort of gender, not even when the teen had lain sprawled across his bed. Seifer had merely seen him as something beautiful, and fragile, and something to love. Now he felt disgusted with himself for two reasons; he hadn't been the responsible one, and had taken advantage of a young, innocent boy. He also had almost had _sex_ with another male. He wasn't able to define himself anymore- everything that he had known to be true was blurred around the edges.

In an effort to clear his head, Seifer narrowed his senses in on the sound of the seagulls cawing. He breathed in deeply through his mouth, the taste of saltwater on his tongue helping to erase the taste of last night's exploration into the unknown. With a tired, exasperated sigh, Seifer rolled his stiff shoulders and turned heel to head back to his car, praying against hope that Hayner wouldn't be there when he got home.

* * *

"He did _**what?!**_" Olette exploded, green eyes flashing furiously.

"It's not like he raped me, it … it was consensual!" Hayner hurriedly admitted, trying to calm down his overzealous friend as they walked along a busy sidewalk, the sunset light turning everything gold. He wasn't even sure how she'd gotten the information out of him; she knew him better than he knew himself.

"Hayner, that's not the point, and you know it!" she hissed, rolling her angry eyes. Hayner sighed and raked a hand back through his stiff, spiky hair. He didn't know what to do about Seifer, really. All of that night was still somewhat blurry in his mind's eye, although the emotions still were easily palpable and caused his blood to boil with a pleasant fire. Hayner welcomed the memory of Seifer's hands splayed across his skin, the taste of his kiss. If he didn't make sure to keep the emotions and pictures fresh in his memory, he was sure that his subconscious would toss them aside as a dream. Beside him, Olette sighed.

"I'm sorry, Olette, but I can't just…."

"He left you, Hayner! He didn't come back- it's been almost a week! How can you be so head over heels for that scarred, callous pedophile?"

"How many times do I have to say it, Olette? It wasn't like that!" Hayner sped up and threw an intent glare into his confidante's eyes. "If I had wanted to, he would've stopped immediately." Chuckling at the memory and blushing deeply, he added, "He actually has a conscience; he tried to get me to stop, but I just pushed him…" Suddenly, Hayner had an epiphany.

_I just pushed him._ Seifer had stopped, Seifer had tried to be a responsible adult, but Hayner hadn't paid any attention. Hayner had thought that Seifer had done what he did not thinking of himself, but to give the teen a chance to deny the advance. But, if he'd just paid more attention- he could clearly remember the way that Seifer's face had been faintly constricted with an – at the time – unreadable emotion. What if Seifer had been trying to stop because _he_ had been uncomfortable, because _he_ hadn't wanted to go on any further? Suddenly, Hayner was able to understand why Seifer had run off that morning.

"Hayner?" Olette's worried voice broke into Hayner's deep thoughts, causing him to see that he had stopped walking with her and she now stood a few yards ahead of him.

"Olette… I need to go talk to Seifer," he told her, trying to keep his tone serious but happy. The brunette sighed and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Hayner, I never thought I would say this… But, for once, be glad you don't have parents." Hayner opened his mouth to give a heated retort, but Olette beat him to it. "What I mean is, if they found out about this, they would have Seifer arrested for underage sex and sexual abuse. Just… stay out of public with him, okay?" Hayner chuckled and shook his head, but he was already turned around and jogging towards Seifer's building, praying against hope that Seifer would speak to him.

* * *

Seifer hadn't heard from Hayner in close to a week. As glad as he was that he didn't have to speak about and deal with the repercussions of that one-night-stand, his wildly active brain needed some closure. Yet, as he heard the heavy, fast raps against his door, he realized with a sinking feeling that everything had been going too well.

He hadn't been able to keep his subconscious from dragging out vivid replays of that night, complete with a loud soundtrack. So, now, as he watched Hayner come through the doorway, a sheepish, apprehensive grin plastered to his face, Seifer had to force himself to concentrate to keep the burning flame from bubbling up in his stomach.

"Hey, Seifer…" Hayner muttered, walking closer to where Seifer stood leaning against the back of the couch.

"Hayner," Seifer murmured, tone icy. He hadn't wanted to ever see Hayner again, even as every cell in his body was aching to embrace the brown-eyed boy.

"Seifer… I understand why you left, that morning." Seifer's eyes widened and he took Hayner in from head to toe, unable to say a word. "I… I never realized that… that I was _pushing_ you. You could have stopped me, you know."

"…What?" Seifer's mouth fell slack as he bit back a bitter chuckle and settled for raising one brow incredulously. "Hayner, it's my fault. I should never have even-" _Kissed you,_ he petered out, unable to control his reaction to Hayner's fallen expression. He stepped forward, caught himself, and stood awkwardly a foot or so away from the couch, unable to think straight. Hayner thought that _he_ had pushed too hard… But Seifer was old enough to be the responsible adult, the one with the cool head.

"You- you mean you're not mad at me?" Hayner whispered, voice disbelieving.

"_**Mad **_at you?" Seifer thought for a moment, trying to get a grip on what Hayner was thinking. Oh, the kid was blaming _himself _for that night- which was really stupid, considering that Seifer initiated the first kiss. "No, chickenwuss, I'm not mad at _you_. I'm disgusted and a little confused with myself, though," he admitted, breaking eye contact.

"What's up, man?" Hayner hissed, glaring up at the beanie'd blonde. Seifer grunted and shrugged, still gazing off to the side.

"I normally sleep… with girls." He muttered, cringing when he heard Hayner exhale loudly.

"Don't do that to me, Seifer," Hayner growled, closing the remaining space. "You seemed fine with it the other night." Seifer bristled, pulling himself up even higher above the teen, although he heard the truth ringing in his words. Even now he felt a smoldering connection to Hayner, the memory of their shocking kiss still burning his lips.

"Then you can't play that frickin' game –" His retort was cut short by the short blonde surging up and pressing their lips together in a chaste, teasing kiss. Seifer moaned in the back of his throat when the contact was broken. The look on Hayner's face was enough to make the man want to smash his nose in, even as his hands curled around slender shoulders. The fire was starting to creep up into his chest, making it a little hard to breathe. Hayner's shit eating smile softened, his expression becoming understanding.

"If you want, Seifer, I can leave now and not come back." The teen reached into the back pocket of his pants, pulled out the small house key, and tossed it neatly unto the kitchen counter. Seifer was surprised by how calm and neutral Hayner could keep his face, but the boy's eyes were way too expressive. The warring emotions were easy to read- nervousness, fear, and passion. He tried to make himself say the words; he really did, for both their sakes. It wasn't his fault that he suddenly had no control of his vocabulary.

"Don't you _ever_," he hissed violently, clasping the teen's cheeks between his hands and leaning down to press their foreheads together momentarily before he engulfed Hayner's lips in a possessive kiss. Seifer could feel Hayner's lips move into a smile, and then his mouth opened. Quickly taking advantage of the situation, he delved his tongue in and heard Hayner emit a low moan, the two moving towards the couch. They fell over the back clumsily, leaving Hayner with his head against Seifer's chest as the blonde man repositioned himself to lay lengthwise upon the piece of furniture. Afraid he'd ruined the moment; Seifer simply laid there, stock still, waiting. Needless to say, he was more than surprised when he felt his shirt hiked up and gentle lips press against his stomach.

He chuckled. It was impossible not to, seeing as he was ticklish there. Hayner shot him a confused glance; Seifer clenched his teeth together, composed his face, and shrugged. To try and remind the teen of his earlier ministrations, Seifer reached up and tangled a hand through the blonde spikes, the heat spreading through him when he felt a shiver run down the boy's spine. Hayner sat up then, reaching his arms up to quickly dispose of his shirt and then trying his best to pull Seifer's shirt off of him. As the collar was plucked over his head, Seifer took a long look at the teen that now gently straddled him, reaching out again to run his fingers over the smooth, flat stomach. He wanted to say so much- tell the boy how beautiful he was, what he was making him _feel_, but emotional speeches had never been Seifer's forte and he held his tongue, settling for a soft sigh when the teen pressed a tender kiss against his left pectoral. Since when had simple kisses been so… _sensual?_ Absentmindedly, he ran his hands up and down Hayner's sides, the teen's ribs easily palpable. Hayner gasped softly, shivering from the contact, his hips pressing down against Seifer's for a millisecond. Though it was barely a whisper of a touch, Seifer had felt enough. He pulled the boy in for a lascivious kiss, his hands gently grabbing unto a firm ass. Hayner turned to butter in his embrace, even more so when the kisses turned to love nips on the boy's earlobe. Every time he panted, Seifer felt Hayner shiver; he was so _sensitive_.

"Hayner…?" he growled, biting harder unto the cartilage at the top of the ear and grinding up into the teen's hips. Hayner inhaled, the sound a long, ragged hiss. Seifer knew what he wanted – needed – even as it scared him senseless. He either had to get consent from Hayner, or take a stiff-legged walk to the bathroom and ruin the entire afternoon.

"Seifer," the teen moaned back, turning his name into a plea, pressing himself down against the man. Seifer fought to keep a clear head, cupping a finger under the boy's chin and tilting it up so that he could make eye contact. The teen's face was flushed, his lips faintly swollen.

"Hayner," he started again, leveling his voice and trying to stay serious. "Have you done this before?" The teen looked away and down at the floor, shrugging.

"Have you?"

"Only with girls," Seifer admitted openly, instantly making his stomach tighten. "But have you _ever_ done this?" The intent, heated glare that Hayner sent his way was answer enough. Seifer raked a hand back through his hair and mulled over the situation.

"…But, Seifer…" the next words were almost too quiet to hear, even in the dead-silent room. "I want you." Seifer went rigid, a hot blush starting to creep up his neck. "What I mean is-" Hayner added quickly, looking up with embarrassed, wide eyes, "I want it to _be you._"

If Seifer had been one for crying, he would have cried. The kid was saying that he wanted to give up himself to Seifer, willingly. He was pledging his chastity to Seifer. He wasn't saying that he wanted it now, or tomorrow, or ever. He was saying that, if ever he had to have sex, he'd want it with Seifer.

Seifer grabbed the boy's face and pulled him in, slowly, for the most tender, chaste – dare he call it _romantic_ – kiss he'd ever had, lightning sparking between their lips. Seifer felt like he was in over his head; this was becoming much more than a one-night-stand.

"…If that's what you want," Seifer promised when the kiss broke. In response, Hayner jerked a knee between Seifer's legs, causing the man to arch back unabashedly and gasp. Filled with renewed vigor, Seifer lurched up and reversed their positions, biting a little harder than necessary down the plane of the teen's chest and across the flat stomach. As he did so, the teen was disposing of his below-the-waist accouterments, before reaching down and helping Seifer to wiggle out of his own. For a moment the two just lay there, Seifer with his head against the boy's chest, their over-heated bodies pulsing in near synchronization. All of Seifer's nerve endings and senses were on high alert. It was much too easy to get intoxicated with the smell that was wafting off from Hanyer- a mix of shampoo, cologne, and plain skin. He shifted his weight, gently, and could hear how Hayner's quiet exhales turned ragged.

"Hayner, are you… ready?" he whispered, reaching for and pressing the boy's palm against his lips. Above him, Hayner nodded, slowly.

"Yes," he murmured, and he sounded confident. Timidly, Seifer sat up and tried to position himself, only finding that there wasn't much space.

"Uh… Hayner," he started, "There isn't really… uh… enough room. So, I think we'll have to move to…" But Hayner was far ahead of him. By the time he'd said 'room', the teen had leapt up and was sauntering off down the hallway, leaving Seifer to sit and stare before collecting himself and following.

Hayner lay out on the bed much as he had the first night, although this time his face, though a little apprehensive, was much calmer. Seifer settled himself at the foot, gently positioning Hayner's feet and legs.

"This will probably hurt," he warned, though not from experience. It was simply the knowledge that they were about to stick something somewhere that…. Well… things weren't supposed to be stuck. He leaned over and engaged them in a passionate kiss until his lungs burned from lack of oxygen. Hayner's fingers ran down his sides, the nails raking across the skin in a strangely pleasant – yet slightly painful – sensation.

More confidently this time, Seifer sat up and, keeping his eyes intently on Hayner's facial expression, he slid one finger in. Hayner hissed and let loose a small squeak of surprise, which would have made Seifer laugh but for the pained expression crumpling his beautiful face. He waited, listening to the boy's panting breaths, until his face smoothed out. Without moving his first finger, he gently pressed in a second. This time, Hayner moaned softly, even as his face contorted. It took less time for him to relax, his face now spreading into a small blissful smile. Finally, he slid in a third finger, and this time Hayner rocked his hips faintly to the motion.

"… I don't know if I have any lotion, Hayner," he whispered after a moment, afraid to go any further without a lubricating agent. Seifer pulled himself up onto his knees and was about to slide out and see what he could find when Hayner pushed himself up unto his elbows and licked lightly at the tip of Seifer's arousal. Biting back a curse, Seifer allowed his head to loll back and his eyes to close, seeing Hayner's idea even as his mind went blank. Soon, Hayner was taking him wholly, and it took all of Seifer's willpower not to let go and give in right there. After a few minutes and quite a few moans, Seifer deemed himself slippery enough and lowered himself down and out of Hayner's reach; the teen fell back against the pillows, his thighs quivering with anticipation. Removing his fingers, Seifer positioned himself, put his hands on either side of Hayner's hips, and slid in.

The silence in the air was charged as both males held their breath. Seifer's nerve endings were on fire, his eyes closed as he simply enjoyed how it felt without any movement. When he opened his eyes, he watched Hayner's face go from slightly pained to faintly confused. Slowly, as gently as he could with his current warring desires, Seifer pressed in further, Hayner's hips rocking up with the motion. Hayner gave a low oath that dissolved into a long moan, reaching out and taking Seifer's hands tightly in his own.

He pleaded with his eyes, locking his gaze with Seifer's. Only too happy to oblige, Seifer rocked up again, gradually increasing the pace as Hayner softly begged for him to go faster. Bending his head down, Seifer soon felt the bed shake. Hayner writhed and cursed, calling out his partner's name from time to time. They found a perfect rhythm; the only sound that of their soft, quick breaths. Suddenly, Hayner went stock-still, his hips the only things moving, before his thrashing became wilder and wilder, his thrusts higher. The sight brought Seifer closer, though Hayner beat him to it. As the warmth spread out unto his stomach, Seifer began to see stars, until they exploded across his vision and he let go. For a moment, it was amazing, like he and Hayner were one, on the same wavelength. It was like nothing he'd ever imagined; the emotions ran so much deeper than lust. He leaned down and sealed the moment with a breath-stealing kiss, Hayner's white-knuckle grip on his hands going slack as the teen's legs buckled down. Seifer fell down unto Hayner with a quiet "oomph", panting heavily. Hayner curled into his chest and he threw an arm over the boy protectively, kissing at his earlobe, whispering nonsense as he felt the tremors subside. If he had to sum it up, he'd have to use a corny cliché; it had been the best night of his life.

* * *

Seifer's icy eyes blinked open as he took in the early afternoon light. Before moving a muscle, his eyes quickly whipped to his side, and he couldn't help the grin that stole across his face at Hayner lying, sprawled, across the bed, hair in a mad disarray, drool running down the corner of his chin. Even with all of that, Siefer couldn't help thinking how beautiful he was. Slowly, as to not disturb his lover, he slid his feet over the side of the bed and sat up, rubbing the back of neck and giving a tired sigh. Had he seriously just had sex with…? Not only with a boy, but also he was pretty sure that Hayner was a minor. He reached up, stretching and groaning, and then nearly jumped out of his skin when two lanky arms wrapped around his torso and two legs straddled his back. He felt hot breath ghost over his neck, and then Hayner's chin came to rest on his shoulder.

"G'morning," the boy mumbled, kissing the back of the older man's neck.

"Good afternoon," Seifer corrected, leaning back against the warm body. "How're you feeling?"

"A little sore." Seifer winced, reaching down and intertwining his fingers with Hayner's.

"I'm sorry…. I should have gotten the lotion…"

"Don't be _sorry_," Hayner insisted, shaking his head, the motion causing his nose to brush back and forth across Seifer's skin. "I had… I had an amazing time." Seifer felt a faint blush creep up into his skin and stood up, turning and pecking Hayner on the cheek.

"I'll make us some breakfast, okay?" he whispered, the quick peck turning into chaste kisses up and down the teen's jawbone and lips. Hayner pulled them closer, almost managing to pull the two unto the bed, but Seifer untangled himself nimbly and took a step back. Hayner groaned disappointedly, but Seifer remained firm.

"You need to eat, chickenwuss!" he insisted, pulling on a pair of plain black boxers. "Get dressed, we'll eat, then I'll take a shower and we can… relax." And with that, he turned and walked – more like sauntered – into the kitchen. But, before he could even get a pan unto a burner, he heard a shrill ringing. Immediately, he was able to realize that it wasn't his. Quickly rummaging through Hayner's clothing on the couch, he retrieved the tiny blue cell phone and hurried back into his bedroom where the blonde teen stood, zipping into a pair of Seifer's jeans.

"Phone for you," he explained, tossing it and then returning to the kitchen. He brought a skillet up to heat and neatly laying out rows of bacon when Hayner stumbled into the living room, phone dangling limply from his hand, his face pale.

"Seifer…" he whispered, gaze unfocused. Seifer killed the burner and rushed to encircle his arms around the skater, rubbing soothingly up and down his back.

"What's wrong, Hayner?" he asked, his voice climbing octaves as he took in the faint sheen of sweat on the boy's face.

"That…. was my dad."

* * *

**END NOTES:** Well. I totally have a plot twist up ahead, and I'm unsure if it'll take me one or two more chapters to finish this; it all depends on which way I choose to end this, and how detailed I get. Sorry that there wasn't much mental/emotional insight this chapter... it was hard. D:


	5. Apart

**Chapter Notes:**

**Thiiiis is my longest piece by over 500 words, I think. Don't trust my math. ; BUT THIS WAS SUCH A FUN CHAPTEERR. I hope you guys like it? I can't figure out how to work in what I want for this next (final? :o ) chapter.**

**Disclaimer: These are not mine. D:**

* * *

Seifer froze, both hands poised at the small of Hayner's back, his eyes widening as the words sunk in.

"Your… dad?" he asked softly, pushing back and looking intently into Hayner's eyes.

"Y-yeah. He says he's back in town… and he wants me to come live with him."

Their perfect morning was ruined. Seifer hadn't planned to leave the apartment until late afternoon… he'd planned on a shower, he'd planned on dragging Hayner back under the linen covers and letting go of any of his inhibitions. He did take a shower, numbly, and then told Hayner to get ready to go- he was going to take him somewhere.

Hayner didn't say a word during the one-hour car ride. He brooded out the window, not even able to muster curiosity as to where they were going. All he could think about was that his father, his absent-for-fourteen-years father, was back. He'd been happy, blissfully happy, last night. Now… did he even have a choice in whether or not he moved in with his birth parent?

Maybe his father had changed, gotten his life straightened out. Maybe now he was a completely different person, a man that Hayner could look up to and learn to love again. Hayner barely registered when they'd stopped, though he jumped when his door was opened.

"Come on, I want to show you something." It was the only thing that Seifer said before tugging Hayner gently out from the passenger seat and pushing him down a sandy path that lead out unto a rocky ledge. When he was situated on the tip, staring out into the water, it was easy to clear his mind.

"Why'd you bring me here?" Hayner asked softly, strong arms wrapping around his torso. He leaned back against Seifer's rigid stomach instinctually, shivering in the too-big sweater.

"I come out here to think, to clear my head," the man explained, his voice rumbling through his chest.

"Is this where you went, that morning you left me?" Hayner whispered, turning his head to lean his cheek against the base of a strong neck. In response, Seifer pressed his lips intently down, barely fighting for dominance in the quick, heated kiss.

"You deserve a moment to think things through." Seifer panted softly when the kiss was broken. Hayner turned back to face the ocean, and it took him a few minutes to realize that the man's strong arms were no longer around him. He kneeled down, trying to keep a firm, organized hold on his thoughts.

What use did his father have for coming back, now of all times, to suddenly stake his paternal claim? Did he even have a paternal claim anymore, since he'd given Hayner up to the city orphanage so long ago? What good would it do Hayner to move in with a stranger, when he had someone who fit him – physically, anyway – like a puzzle piece? Did he really know Seifer that well, or was it six and one half-dozen the other?

Seifer had been there for him. His father had deserted him. Hayner could still taste Seifer, hot, overpowering, on his tongue. He could remember the way the man's gaze had traveled over him when he'd removed his shirt; appraising and greedy. This could all turn legal at the drop of a hat… what defense did Hayner have for not wanting to live with his father? No thanks, your honor, but I'd rather live with someone who'll have illegal sex with me. Would his father accept his newfound gayness? God, it would've just been better if his dad had died.

Hayner didn't know how long he'd squatted, rolled back unto his heels, letting his thoughts ebb and flow in any direction they wanted. Soon, though, he was able to make his decision. It wouldn't be easy, but it was the obvious choice.

Seifer was lying on his back against the hood when he heard shuffled footsteps on the gravel, signaling Hayner's return. He stood and stretched until his back popped, then enveloped the teen in a rough hug, running chaste, mindless kisses up and down the smooth neck.

"What are you going to do?" he whispered, surprised by how apprehensive his voice sounded. He felt Hayner's grip on him tighten, and it only caused the dread in his stomach to grow.

"Can we go home?" Hayner whispered. Seifer didn't have to think twice to know which home that the kid meant.

"Of course, chickenwuss," he chuckled weakly, opening the passenger door and then going around to his side and starting the car.

Of course Hayner would choose his father. Blood thicker than water, right? Who wouldn't want to be reunited with their only known living relative? And, as much as Seifer tried to convince himself that it was completely normal and to be expected, it was impossible to stop from being nauseas at the thought of Hayner leaving. He couldn't keep taking advantage of Hayner if the boy was living under the same roof as his father. Besides, the old man didn't own a house here; he would take Hayner off to another city, maybe another state. By the time they arrived at the parking lot, Seifer was ready to hurl. Luckily, the boy wasn't paying much attention, and they were able to get upstairs without a single word between them.

"When are you going to… you know, meet him?" Seifer growled, tossing his coat unto the couch.

"I'm seeing him tonight, at the bar around the corner," Hayner whispered, sitting down on a stool and spinning in a slow circle. The kid's dad wanted to meet at a fucking _bar? _Suddenly remembering, Seifer strode over to the counter and picked up the spare key, shoving it across the smooth surface.

"No matter what happens," he started, cradling the brown-eyed boy's smooth face in his hands and leaning their foreheads together, "No matter what you choose, you come around whenever you want, okay? You come over whenever you want." His insides twisted. If he were taken away, there wouldn't be any choice. And that thought alone affected him much more than it should have. He scoured the depths of Hayner's dark eyes, hoping to find something reassuring within them. What if… what if he _was_ gay, and women wouldn't hold the same interest for him anymore? Would he have the strength to … to openly hit on another man? No, because… because he was head over heels. And it scared him silly. His grip tightened on Hayner's too-palpable cheekbones, willing those full lips to say the words he so desperately needed to hear, but wouldn't dare say himself.

Hayner slid down off the stool, his face falling out of Seifer's death grip. He didn't do much, for a moment, before he pressed his palms against Siefer's chest and engaged them in a bruising kiss, bending the older man back over the countertop. When the kiss was broken for the necessity to breathe, Seifer suckled on the teen's collarbone, his knees going weak at the strong scent pealing off of Hayner in waves. How could he still smell so strongly, after a night in a strange house? How could that smell not have affected him as much before? Hayner's breathing grew heavy above him; the deep exhales ghosted along his ear as the sensitive flesh was nibbled upon.

It wasn't until he felt Hayner's grip tight around his arousal that he realized that his pants had been undone. It was odd, experiencing Hayner being this straightforward, this daring. It was disgusting how much it turned him on. Maybe he actually wasn't gay… maybe he was jus a pedophile. Seifer's hips bucked into Hayner's as they found a rhythm.

"Don't ever leave me," he heard the boy growl- almost to himself- in the same tone as Seifer had used on him the day before. No. Seifer would never –could never– leave Hayner. That much was certain now, as he lay on his own countertop, breathing heavily and thrusting, his feet barely touching the floor, Hayner's teeth gnawing at his ear.

"Hayner-!" Seifer groaned as he began to teeter on the edge. Hayner's face suddenly came into view and their lips connected, like lightning again, chaste and tender and delicious. Their tongues battled it out, Seifer trying his best to commit the sweet, faintly honey-like flavor to memory. It wasn't until after he'd released himself into the warm, soft hand that he tasted the wet, salty trails on Hayner's cheeks.

* * *

Hayner couldn't stand the tension, and left Seifer's house after lunch. It had been unbearable. The man's eyes had dulled considerably, his expression one of a tortured impatience. His heart wrenched when they'd hugged goodbye; Seifer had clung embarrassingly long, his lips glued to the spot below his ear. Hayner had almost given in, almost begged for one last time, quickly. He almost slid his knee between Seifer's legs, pushed him down, but he'd taken a deep breath and pulled away.

Now he stood awkwardly in the doorway of Sid's Bar, scanning the room for someone he hadn't seen in fourteen years.

"…Hayner?"

The teen took in, slowly, the form of an expensive man, wearing an expensive, if not faintly casual, suit. His hair was a light, platinum blonde, hung loosely above his ears. His eyes were an intense, severe, blazing green, his face full of hard, chiseled points. Clearly, Hayner got most of his features from his mother, save for the blonde hair.

"Jesus Hayner, look'it you! You have your mother's eyes, you know?" And even though the comment should have been taken as a reminiscent whisper, the man said it matter-of-factly, grinning like a full-blown bastard. Before he could get a word out, the man steered him into a booth and shoved him down, sitting opposite and just staring for a moment.

"You're going to love it, living with me, Hayner," the man explained. Hayner started and gripped tightly at the table.

"Look… _dad_,"

"Call me Paul, son." Hayner held back a wretch, "But hold that thought, I'm going to go get us something to drink. You'll take a plain beer, right?" He paused, as if expecting an answer, but Hayner already knew better. "A'course you will, you're my boy, aint'cha?" And with that, he'd moved on. Hayner, feeling rather disgusted with himself for ever thinking of living with this man, stood up and moved to the bathroom. He relieved himself at the nearest urinal, and was zipping up when he felt strong arms slink stiffly around his middle. His mind's first thought was that it was Seifer. Immediately, his body began to go slack, until the smell hit him. It wasn't Seifer's soft, warm, heady scent. This one was… well; it certainly didn't hold the same reaction for him. He went stiff when he realized what was so off-putting about the scent.

"Where the _hell_ have you been?" a voice hissed into his ear. Hayner shoved the arms away and hurried out from the bathroom, heading towards the front entrance. This was a little too much. A hard, steely grip ensnared his shoulders and pulled him back, the cacophony of the bar too distracting to its drunk and rowdy patrons for anyone to notice.

"Let me go, you bastard!" he hissed, the cold air of the back alley pouring deep into his lungs and causing him to gasp. The rough bricks slammed into his back; he could feel it crack sickeningly, and he gave a low cough. Throughout his worthless struggling, his mind couldn't help but yell out to Seifer. It was too easy to think of Seifer doing this to him, and how much more light, playful and consensual it would have been. But not this…. not this.

Hands were undoing the belt to his pants. He sure as hell wasn't wasting any time tonight. Hayner cried out weakly, his echoing voice barely reaching the yellow-lit streets. Then, something different; fingers where they didn't belong, his legs being spread out across the wall, even as he locked the muscles. Why the hell did he have to be so damn _**weak**_? He pummeled the tall man with his fists, to no avail. Rake was _inside_ him, pressing him deeper against the wall. Now, tears slid down his cheeks as he thought of the contrasts between this and his first time. When there was a release inside him, and Rake cried out, Hayner felt sick. _**It **_burned; it didn't belong there. He screamed, then, but not in ecstasy; he remembered thinking of doing so the first time. He hadn't done it of course, because he had been too embarrassed, and hadn't wanted to worry Seifer.

He didn't know he was against the cold concrete until he felt a boot in the stomach, and he spewed spit, and even a little blood, out from between his teeth. It pooled against the ground and felt sickeningly slimy against his cheek.

"What the hell makes you feel like you're so fucking _special?"_ the dark force blurted, and then it was gone. Hayner curled in on himself, not the least bit aware that his pants were down. His arms snaked around his abdomen, forcing his skin to stay on, his bones to stay still, his internal organs not to explode. He wondered if someone would notice a small, broken boy in a dark, deserted alley.

No one did.

* * *

Seifer was lounging on his too-short sofa, mindlessly watching – with rapt fascination, mind you – some Spanish soap opera. The women did one of two things; cried, or flirted like there was no tomorrow. The men either were fighting against each other, or seducing one of the aforementioned flirting women. Seifer was suddenly thankful he was gay. Or was he a pedophile? With a stab to his chest, he pushed the thought of Hayner out of his mind, curling his knees into his chest feebly.

Somewhere in the darkness of agonizing forever, the man was able to pull himself together enough to hear his cell phone. Right, there were _people_ out there, outside his door, down on the sidewalks… Reaching out blindly, he finally contacted the trilling thing and answered it, slamming it against his head in such a forceful way as to make him regret he'd done it.

"Hello?" he hissed, the pain on the side of his face subsiding.

"Seifer!" Seifer couldn't stop sitting up straighter; his blood pumped for what seemed like the first time since that door had closed, whooshing loudly in his ears. Then, he came down from his audio-induced high, realizing the voice was too deep and gruff to be _his. _

"Grumpy?" he blurted, shocked.

"The name's _**ROXAS**_," the blonde, hot-tempered boy fumed. Seifer was practically able to feel the steam coming from the other's ears.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Th'hell you calling me for?"

"I'm looking for Hayner, Einstein. He's not picking up his cell, so I figured I'd try yours. He was supposed to come over tonight; guess you sidetracked him, huh?" Roxas' voice was sharp and matter-of-fact, as if talking to a mentally handicapped child.

"Hayner?" Seifer's throat constricted. The teen had gone to Sid's bar almost three hours ago.

"What, isn't he with you?" Roxas' voice became a little more worried; Seifer was able to hear a definite female voice in the background.

"N…no, no he's not. But I'm going to fucking find him," he growled, not giving Roxas time to reply before he hung up and shoved the phone deep into his pants pocket. He grabbed his trench coat, and, on a second thought, grabbed the old worn sweatshirt that Hayner had worn all those weeks ago.

The elevator would take too long, so he flew down the stairs, riding the banister at points where there was no one else around. Fuck that kid and his ability to… What if Hayner's dad had just up and kidnapped the teen? No, no, Hayner wasn't _that_ weak. Besides, in a busy bar like Sid's, someone was bound to notice that kind of a scuffle. Hayner knew to make a noise… didn't he?

The air outside was easily thirty degrees colder than that inside, and at least twenty lower than the weatherman had predicted. He buried his hands into his armpits, clutching unto the sweater for dear life as he jogged towards the bar, a beacon in the dark night.

Seifer poked his head into the bar, looking for anything or anyone out of the ordinary.

"Sid!" he called towards a gruff, car-mechanic-turned-bar-runner. "You see a blonde boy, brown eyes, about this tall?" Sid squinted for a moment, shoving a cigar between tightly pursed lips.

"Oh, yeah, that boy! Came in, sat with an older man… the man went to get a drink, the kid went off to the pisser and never came back." Sid shrugged uncaringly and went back to pouring beer. Seifer slumped, but the fire still burned in him. He trudged through the too-thick crowd into the bathrooms; maybe Hayner had passed out. But the bathrooms were pristine and empty.

He almost missed it on his way out. It would've been hard for him to sense, if he weren't on such high alert. A cold breeze, coming from behind him, caused Seifer to whirl 'round, immediately seeing the back door left ajar.

"Hayner!" he screamed, shoving aside the heavy metal exit, nearly tripping over the body of whom he was desperately trying to find. The boy was curled in on himself, passed out, shivering, with his pants down around his knees. Bruises were forming on his lower back, legs, and upper arms. Spit and blood pooled next to his face, a dirty boot mark imprinted on his otherwise clean grey shirt. Seifer fell to his knees, hands hovering over the so fragile, so delicate, so precious body. He gently cupped the back of Hayner's head in his one palm, pulling the teen's pants up and tugging the old sweatshirt over his head. Finally, he scooped the boy up and carried him back to the penthouse, bridal style.

* * *

Hayner slept that night and into the next evening. At roughly five o'clock the next day – Saturday, to be precise – his chocolate brown eyes opened.

Seifer had sat in a chair next to the bed incessantly, occasionally waking to find himself face-planted into the sheets at an awkward angle. After the third wakening, he crawled into bed and spooned himself against Hayner's back, arm loosely thrown over the boy's hips.

Seifer had called Roxas about an hour after they'd gotten home, left a message when the phone went to voicemail. But after that, he didn't even register the phone ringing in the background.

Of course he'd changed the boy's clothes and cleaned him up as much as was possible with an unconscious patient. Seifer would forever wish he'd been able to see Hayner's expression. He always felt that, once the teen had realized that he was there, he'd changed it.

Hayner rolled over in his embrace. Seifer froze, unsure if the boy was still out. But, when that face looked up at him, those eyes, brimming with tears even as the goofiest of smiles lit it up, he swiftly moved into action.

His hands reached up and cupped Hayner's cherubic cheeks, wiping away any stray tears with his thumbs, smiling as convincingly as he could back at his … charge.

"_Seifer?_" a raspy, tentative voice asked. Seifer took a deep breath, swallowed a sob, and nodded.

"It's okay, Hayner. I'm here. You're safe."

"…Oh god," Those brown eyes were too big. They too easily expressed every emotion as the teen relived his previous night. Those tiny hands reached out and fisted into Seifer's shirt – he really needed to change – and pulled into his chest, tears spilling out quietly, an occasional shaky, deep breath the only noise emitted from the teen.

"Hayner, shh-"

"Oh, Seifer!" he boy sobbed, shocking Seifer into silence. "It was Rake, and I was so … I just went to… and he was there, and he wouldn't let me go, and no one was paying any attention." Seifer clenched his jaw and took fistfuls of the comforter. "And… and… h-h-he-" Hayner broke off. A long, high-pitched keening squeak came from his throat as the boy fought to keep his overwhelming sobs at bay. "He… he w-was _inside_ of m-me, S-seifer!"

The teen's hiccupping sobs became more pronounced as he stuttered over the last few words. Seifer fought to control himself while trying to calm the teen; if Hayner kept up, he'd vomit.

"That. Bastard." He seethed, once Hayner's tremors had become like faint shivers. "I'll kill him, Hayner, I-" And, suddenly, he was clear minded.

"Seifer…?" Hayner moaned softly.

"Hayner… you need to go live with your dad." Seifer whispered, biting his lip between the words to prevent any other sound from coming out. Beside him, Hayner recoiled.

"W-What?!" the teen shrieked, the extreme shock bringing him out of his rape-induced fit.

"Wherever you go, Rake can't get you," Seifer explained, meeting Hayner's gaze head-on and reaching out to caress one of the teen's cheeks. Impossibly, they still felt so much softer than he expected.

"Seifer, you're scaring me." Hayner whimpered, moving closer and placing a wet, sloppy kiss against Seifer's collarbone. Seifer shivered, but remembered how vulnerable Hayner was right now. All he wanted was protection, a safe harbor, and Seifer could do that without over-stepping any boundaries.

"Don't listen to me, Hayner," he insisted, shaking his head. "It's just… I'm tired, and I'm in shock too, you know. The least we should do is report that fucking bastard to the police." He spat out the cusses, his blood pressure rising momentarily. Hayner nodded, his arms snaking tightly around Seifer's waist.

"They… they'll take me into a hospital, won't they?"

"I don't think so," Seifer mused, thinking. "You're not a woman, so it's not like they need to pregnancy test you… They'll probably want pictures of the bruises, though."

"You'll come with me, though, won't you?" Hayner almost yelled, pulling his face up to make eye contact with Seifer. "I… I don't want _anyone_ touching me there, ever again, Seifer." Seifer nodded.

"Yeah, of course, I understand-"

"Except for you,"

That was the only warning Seifer got before the teen toppled down on him, connecting their lips wetly, in a needy fashion. Seifer groaned low in the back of his throat, a sound meant to be one of surprise and unhappiness, but it only came out throaty and… well, arousing.

And then there was a knee pressing between his legs, and a tongue was darting out and wetting the tight seal of his lips. Seifer was in a haze, Hayner's smell making him weaker than he usually was around the boy.

"Hayner," he grumbled against the intently moving lips, trying his best to keep the teen's tongue from entering his mouth.

"Mmmph." Hayner moaned, pulling back a centimeter.

"Shit, Hayner, you're crying again…" Seifer whispered, unable to take the sudden tightening in his stomach at the thought that he was the cause of the tears. "Hayner, you… you're very emotional right now. How about you sleep a little longer, then we can eat and go down to the police station." He built space between them, rolling Hayner off of him and sliding off the bed, leaving a red-faced, panting Hayner lying under he covers. Seifer groaned at the sight, and kicked himself when Hayner's face lit up with a hopeful glee. Seifer glared discouragingly, shaking his head.

"Sleep, chickenwuss," he commanded, the softness of his voice a sharp contrast to his intense gaze. With all his strength, Seifer stepped out of the room, and, never breaking eye contact with the emotional teen, closed the door.

* * *

"I'm Seifer Almasy… I need to report an event, please," Seifer murmured to the woman behind a glass window, being careful to keep his voice low as the Police Station was in a quiet lull in the early afternoon. True to his word, Seifer left Hayner to sleep, and the boy didn't wake up until the next morning. He'd made a quick brunch before they set out to the station to report the … incident.

"Yes sir, jus' a few minutes," the woman grunted back in a heavy accent. Seifer sighed impatiently, but knew it was no use and picked out a seat in the cramped waiting room, being sure to keep his hands off of Hayner. For now, he had to play a concerned friend. If anyone were to pick up on the nature of their relationship…

"Mr. Almasy?" a deep voice boomed. Seifer and Hayner's heads whipped up simultaneously, taking in the bulking girth of the police officer addressing them. The two stood and Hayner led the way behind the counter, following the man into a somewhat-cramped cubicle.

"What seems to be the 'event', Mr. Almasy?" the man muttered, clearly disinterested.

"Officer-"

"Officer Jackson," the man corrected, sitting up a little straighter.

"Ahem. Yes, officer Jackson. Well, I wanted to report… a …" For a minute, Seifer was flustered. Was this sort-of thing called 'rape'? "A raping."

"Rape?" the older man gasped, leaning forward intently. "Where?" Hayner coughed and looked aside, a hot blush creeping into his face. Jackson rocked back and mumbled incoherently, eyes wide.

"It was… it was Rake Anuratta, sir." Hayner explained, sheepishly glancing up.

"What's your name, son?"

"Hayner, sir; Hayner Aikou." Seifer started; Hayner didn't look the least bit Asian. He caught Hayner's gaze, the blush seeping deeper into the blonde's pores. "My mother's last name, sir."

"Ah, yes… Well, Mr. Almasy, I'm going to have to ask you to leave." Holding back a possessive growl, Seifer nodded slowly and stood, fighting against his entire body to keep from patting Hayner's shoulder, taking hold of the boy's hand, or just giving him a simple hug; it would be too revealing.

"I'll just be in the waiting room, then," he told Hayner, smiling nonchalantly as his intestines twisted sickeningly.

Doing the death march to the waiting room, Seifer sat and waited on baited breath for almost an hour before he caught sight of Hayner in the corner of his vision. He stood quickly – too quickly, maybe – but checked himself and didn't run to the teen's side, as every part of him ached to do.

"Thank you for addressing this problem to us, Mr. Almasy." The officer said softly, his gaze lingering for a moment before he turned his fat-ass around and waddled back into his cubicle.

"Well, chickenwuss, what'd he say?" Seifer prompted when they were a few stores down from the station. Hayner merely shrugged, his eyes unfocused. Seifer tried again, but still got no response. A little too distracted himself to get very worried or worked up, the man merely pushed it out of his mind until they reached his pent-house. He sloughed out of his trench coat, but Hayner made no move to get out of his sweatshirt.

"Hayner…?" Seifer reached out for the boy, only to have him recoil and head for the bedroom, slamming the door in his wake. For a moment, Seifer was absolutely furious. What the hell was wrong with that boy? And then, he remembered.

Hayner's entire self had just been violated. Seifer cringed as he imagined the scene, could practically hear Hayner's whimpers of pain, and could taste the salt of the tears running down the boy's face. His father shows up out of nowhere, and then he goes and gets his ass raped, in the most literal of ways.

"…I need a beer," he groaned, scribbling a quick note for Hayner before leaving, not even donning his jacket against the growing winter cold. Even though it angered him to even think about Sid or his bar, it was the only place near enough without needing a car. He settled into his seat next to a blonde, business-class man with a cocky, I'm-the-hottest-shit-in-this-town smirk on his sharp face. As he ordered his drink – the strongest beer on tap – Sid glanced anxiously between him and the blonde man, until Seifer's brain made a connection.

"Hey…" he rumbled lowly, as if he were already a little buzzed, "You don't… I've never seen you around much. You new here?"

"Heh, yeah. I'm here to pick up a kid, then get the hell out of dodge," the man returned, his voice a higher, softer tone.

"Oh, you're adopting!" Seifer exclaimed, taking a heavy swig from his beer for effect. The older man laughed, eyeing Seifer as if he were dangerous on an unknown level, and sipped at some cosmopolitan drink.

"…No, not really. I… I'm just picking up my kid."

"You mean, like, you left your kid here and now you're coming back for him?" Seifer drawled, screwing up his brow to try and master a confused expression.

"Exactly!" the man exclaimed, smiling at Seifer like a dog that had finally done what was asked of him.

"Why?" Seifer asked, point blank.

"Well…." Blondie looked to the sides, watched Sid wander to the far end of the bar, and then stared at Seifer. He seemed to deem him drunk enough, so he leaned in and whispered.

"Turns out, my wife left about one-hundred grand for the little fucker when she died. He gets it when he's eighteen, so I might as well get him early." He sniggered at the end; Seifer's intestines turned to ice, though he laughed, as any drunken man would have.

Suddenly, in the corner of his eye, Seifer caught sight of Roxas wandering out the service door. The kid must've just finished his shift in the bar. Keeping up the drunken façade, he raised a hand and waved messily, but Roxas's intense eyes only became a I'm-going-to-fucking-ruin-you glare. A little unnerved, Seifer turned back to Blondie, trying to remember where he'd been.

"Aw, man, that's … that's smart shit, right there!" he half-yelled, downing the rest of his beer in one huge swallow. He stood then, wobbling dramatically. "Aw'll see you aroun' then, righ' man?" he slurred, not listening to a reply as he swaggered out the door and into the cold air.

He didn't care who saw him; the minute the door closed, Seifer bolted.

_Oh god, oh god, I have to tell Hayner, I have to tell Hayner,_ his thoughts shouted as he pounded the elevator button in the lobby.

"Hayner!" he called, entering his suite and jogging to the bedroom. He pounded his fists on the door, only to have it open readily at his touch. Hayner sat, feet touching the ground, at the foot of the bed, his glare burning into Seifer's face.

"…Hayner? Hayner, I have something _really_ important-" he started, forcing himself to ignore Hayner's state.

"Shut it, Seifer," Hayner spat, standing and curling his hands into white-knuckled fists. Seifer stopped, his jaw dropped slightly, and he stood there, dumbfounded. "I know all about your frickin' plan."

"Hayner, wha-"

"Don't play coy, with me, Seifer!" he roared, his face turning faintly red and the veins on his face becoming more pronounced. On closer inspection, Seifer was able to see that the boy's eyes were horribly red and puffy- had the teen been crying? "You've just been taking care of me until my father came along. What were you gunna do, break up with me suddenly to make to go running to daddy? Or, maybe we never actually had a relationship; maybe I was just a one-time experiment, since, you know, you're not gay?"

Seifer had never heard Hayner's tone so venomous. His eyes had narrowed to slits, the warm chocolate turning into a dark, cold black. Without another word, he stormed out from the room and called over his shoulder,

"Have a nice time at the bar, asshole?" He grabbed the note – undisturbed from where Seifer had left it – tore it in half, and tossed it behind him before launching the door open and throwing it closed with enough force to cause the room to shake.

And, for the first time in his entire life, Seifer fell to his knees.


	6. Together At Last

**Author Notes: **Well. The final chapter. You have no idea how hard this was to write. I knew exactly what I wanted to happen, but I wasn't willing to let it go through, you know? I didn't want it to END. But, at the same time, I felt like it had to happen at some point. Ending is lame, since I have literally never ended a piece of writing in my entirety of… well, writing.

As many of you may have noticed, I uploaded a Riku x Sora drabble the other day, but I'd like to ask you all now: RiSora or AkuRoku for my next fic? Please leave that in your review, or I won't write anything… like, ever again. And I really mean it. oo;

* * *

Seifer woke up, cheek plastered against the carpeted floor of his bedroom. He had no idea what time it was, but his head was pounding, and the darkness outside led him to believe he'd been out for over twenty-four hours. He pushed himself up onto his sore knees before running a hand down his carpet-marked face.

Why was he on the floor, again?

Oh. Right. _Hayner_. Even the thought word was enough to press his forehead down against the floor as he remembered the searing, unforgiving look in that boy's eyes. Chicken-wuss was beginning to affect him _way_ too much. Staggering to his feet, Seifer tripped himself into his bathroom and ran cold water over his face, relishing the way it brought out goose bumps along the back of his neck.

First things first- figure out why the hell Hayner had gone AWOL on him.

'_Cell phone, cell phone…. Where the hell did I stick that stupid piece of-'_ Before he could finish the thought, he went stumbling over the tiny piece of plastic. Right, he'd left it on the** floor**, like a genius. As he flipped the damn thing open and scoured the list of –non-existent– missed calls since he'd lost it the day before.

Now, who was it that he'd seen yesterday at the bar? He'd seen Hayner's dad, yeah, with very important information that Seifer **needed** to tell Hayner _**now**_. But he'd seen someone else, too…

**Roxas**.

What had Roxas seen? Seifer had been 'drunk'… he'd talked to Hayner's father….

Wait, wait, back up. Did Roxas think…? Clutching his phone tightly enough to crush it, he pounded the redial button from the last call he'd gotten- from Roxas being an overprotective fucker, of course.

"Hell-oh," the deep-voiced teen grumbled, clearly in a pretty damn good mood.

"Roxas," Seifer growled, his tone low and throaty. "What the **hell** did you tell Hayner." It was a demand more than a question.

"I told him that I saw you whispering all suspiciously with his fucking dad. I finally told Hayner how much I don't trust you- how I haven't liked the looks of you since day one. All the pieces just seemed to come together now. How you suddenly swoop in and brighten up his life, how serious you are, how you told him to go live with his dad, because it's safer there…" Seifer's fingers curled into a fist around the base of his phone.

"What. Did. You. Tell. Him." Seifer spat, feeling his blood run hot.

"… I told him I think you're in cahoots with his dad. That all this shit with you has been a ploy so that his dad can take him home." The teen's voice dropped to a low, ominous whisper. "You think Hayner doesn't _know_ about the money, Seifer?"

Seifer's blood froze.

"You…god damn-it, Roxas!" he roared, slamming a fist hard against the wall. "I was faking being drunk, you prick! I… you… I don't frickin' expect you to understand how much Hayner means to me," His volume steadily lowered, until he was speaking in a harsh breath. "But that wouldn't even cross your mind, would it? That maybe I actually cared about Hayner, maybe… maybe I'm not a pedophile." Even as the words were being formulated, the epiphany was hardening in the back of his mind.

"Seifer…" Roxas' voice had changed, dramatically. It was tired, apologetic, and apprehensive.

"Grumpy, if you're _really_ sorry, then you can help me out with getting Hayner back. You, and Fatty and … brown-pig-tail girl."

Seifer was going to get Hayner back, and he was going to keep him. He had to prove to the little dumb blonde how much he meant to him, even if it meant having his ass dragged through court. Hayner was his, and Seifer would do anything to keep him.

* * *

"Hayner, please, just give him a second chance-"

"Why the _hell_ should I do that, Roxas? You're the one who told me that you don't trust him, and all of your intuitions make sense…" Roxas shuddered as he watched Hayner's face change from pure, insane rage into listless neutrality. Hayner was… unstable, lately. Roxas had promised Seifer though, and he really _did_ feel bad for the whole misunderstanding.

"Hayner… I… I didn't really mean all that. I never liked Seifer, I'll admit it," Hayner's eyes narrowed in a deadly glare, but Roxas knew better and kept going. "But that doesn't mean that I have a good reason to lie. Just give him another chance, Hayner."

"Why do you suddenly care so much?" Hayner sneered. God, if there's one thing that Seifer-withdrawal did to Hayner, it was make him a fucking pain the goddamn ass.

"Because he won't stop calling me!" Roxas roared, and slammed himself into his room.

* * *

Today was the big day. Today, Seifer would finally get the chance to prove to Hayner how much the stupid teen meant to him. With much help from Fatty, Grump, and Pippi Longstocking, Hayner had agreed to come out of their … wherever it was that they lived, and go for a stroll in the park.

Seifer had a strong feeling that Hayner was going to be a little bit more than pissed when he found out who was waiting for him. Standing on one side of a soccer-sized field, Seifer trying to remember exactly what he was going to say. He had to get this right, because this could be his last chance. The few days without Hayner, Seifer had distracted himself to the fullest by going out with his only remaining friends, Fuu and Rai, but it was nothing compared to the young teen's companionship.

"What the **hell-**" Seifer's head whipped up at Hayner's voice, his stomach clenching and his vision getting blurry. Jesus, he was wrapped so far around this boy's finger that his head was up his own ass.

"Hayner, please-" His voice warbled, and Seifer nearly died right there.

"No, no! Why the hell did you guys bring me here!" He was already turning to leave, but Grumpy grabbed hold of his shoulder and shoved him closer to Seifer, who watched warily while Hayner regained his footing.

"Hayner, I need you to hear me out." The older man started, his voice stronger as he tried to remember his speech. "When I went into that bar that night, it really was with the intention to go out and get smashed. I really didn't know who your dad was… at first. I figured, you know, if I pretended to be a drunk, he'd talk a bit more openly about why he'd come to get you. I had no idea, about the money, Hayner." Hayner's gaze became cold and his eyes turned to slits. A cold sweat breaking out on the back of his neck, Seifer backtracked.

"But… I mean… God Hayner, just believe me when I say I don't _care_ about the money!" Seifer reached out and cupped the boy's cheeks tentatively in his hands, locking gazes with the teen in the same second. "I'm not working for your dad, or anything stupid like that…"

Oh, crap, here came the atom bomb of all things to say. Just a few words; get them out, get them off your chest… Seifer fought internally for a moment, keeping his gaze intense and watching Hayner's face relax. This was it, the main moment. His stomach twisted sickeningly even as the butterflies began to stir, almost causing the man to wretch. He took a deep breath in through his nose and released it from his mouth, reveling in the goose bumps he saw raise on his partner's face.

"Hayner, I'm not interested in your for anything else but for you, because…" His throat clenched and he swallowed thickly, trying to remember how to breathe. In, out, in out…

"I love you, Hayner." Once it was out, it was all too easy to ramble it on, soft enough that only Hayner could hear. "I love how frighteningly fragile you are, and yet how fiery and strong you are," he added on quickly, smirking beside himself. "I love how well we fit together, the wonderful talks we used to have at breakfast. I love how smart you are, how calculating, that look you get when you're completely lost in a thought. I love the feeling of you in my arms; I love how you look at me when you _need_ _me,_ even if that makes me sound like a greedy prick. I love how delicious you smell- how it makes my knees fucking _weak._" Taking a definite turn, he leaned in and whispered. Hayner pushed himself up to be able to hear, and never once did they break eye contact.

"I love how your eyes glaze over when you're breathless," Seifer breathed, grinning like an idiot. "I love how you taste, and how I'll never get enough of it." With the final statement, he reached out and brushed his thumb against Hayner's lower lip, relishing the shiver that shot down the boy's spine.

Yes, he had Hayner right where he wanted him.

"But most of all, Hayner, I love being with you. I love waking up next to you and being able to just reach over and kiss you whenever the hell I want, because I have this primal want to be with you all the time, and the insane feeling that you're _mine._ And I'll do anything to keep you out of your dad's clutches." Hayner bristled and stiffened at the mention of his father, and Seifer realized he had to finish this quickly.

"Hayner Aikou," Seifer whispered, his voice becoming even quieter, if that was possible. He took Hayner's hands in his and squeezed encouragingly. "Would you marry me?"

--

When Hayner said nothing for two full minutes, Seifer became worried.

"Hayner? Yo', Hayner!" Guilt grew in his stomach, and Seifer nibbled uneasily on his lip. "Hayner, if you don't feel the same, please, just tell me. Or if you want to live with your dad…" He squeezed Hayner's shoulder gently, and the statue seemed to come to life.

"Seifer," Hayner growled. The older man blanched, letting his lips part slightly. "What the fuck took you so damn long?"

If he'd squeaked, squealed, sobbed or squawked, Seifer's brain blacked it out. But he definitely did make a noise as he swooped Hayner into his arms and crashed his lips against the younger boy's, his heart throbbing and his stomach falling up. With one hand pressed gently against the back of the teen's neck and the other cupped naively beneath his ass, Seifer kept Hayner's feet off the ground, and even succeeded in spinning around once in his excitement.

When Hayner finally pulled back with an unattractively loud gulp of air and Seifer pressed their foreheads and noses together, the sounds of the world around them came crashing in at top volume. By quickly –and not without great personal pain- averting his gaze from Hayner's lovely eyes, Seifer took in Longstocking jumping and making embarrassingly loud whooping noises, while Fatty seemed to have had his retinas burned out. Grumpy, on the other hand, locked gazes with Seifer and seemed to give his consent, and it was all that Seifer had wanted from the overly mature teenager. All this happened in the space of a second before he returned his attention for Hayner as the boy curled against his chest, rubbing his face in and inhaling deeply before muttering something.

"What was that, chicken-wuss?" Seifer slurred, happiness buzzing through his system.

"I said this is the best birthday I've ever had." In an instant, Seifer had pushed away and was holding Hayner firmly at arm's length.

"Your birthday is today?" Seifer demanded. Hayner's brows raised, and he nodded his head.

"…Yeah, why?"

"How old are you, Hayner?"

"Eighteen. Seifer, what's wrong?" The teen wiggled back into Seifer's weak embrace, nestling his nose in at Seifer's neck.

"If you're eighteen, idiot, you don't need to marry me," Seifer was amazed how immensely sad he sounded, how everything just leaked out of him. "You can just choose to live on your own. Your dad has no power over you anymore."

God, and it had all been going so well.

"Seifer, are you even listening to yourself?" Hayner demanded as he pushed away, drawing Seifer's attention back. He opened his mouth to retort, but was cut off. "For someone so cocky, you sure are insecure. I didn't think I'd need to spell it out. Siefer, I love you. You've saved my life three times now… and you're just… you're one of those stereotypical bad-asses with a heart of fricking gold. I … I love your insecurities, I love how desperate you are and you have no fucking idea. I love you for loving me. I love how strong you are."

And, now, Hayner's voice dropped and became rough and husky. "I love how you're so gentle when you're so rough. I love how you know _just_ where to touch- how all you have to do is **look** at me the right way and I want you. I love your strong arms around me. I love all of that and none of it all at the same time. Seifer dumb-ass Almasy, I am in love with you."

Seifer was dumbstruck throughout the entire heartfelt speech, faintly aware of how Hayner's fingers played absentmindedly with the zipper of his trademark white trench coat. The man's hands came up and cupped Hayner's face, all these intense emotions wreaking havoc on his mental status.

"God, Hayner. I don't deserve you," he whispered, nestling his lips in at Hayner's neckline and, for the first time, noticing how the others had all wandered off awkwardly. "Wanna head to my place?" Goose bumps rose beneath his lips as he ran his tongue over Hayner's quickening pulse, his arms reaching to hold up the fast slumping body of his younger lover.

"Yes _**please**_." Hayner moaned softly before getting scooped up and carried back to their abode.

* * *

"What're you thinking?" Seifer whispered, running his hands through Hayner's hair. The two lay haphazard on Seifer's bed, naked as the respective days they were born, Hayner's head against Seifer's stomach as he stared at the ceiling.

"About how wonderful you are," Hayner chuckled, grinning cheekily.

"Jesus, you're a sap, you know that?" Seifer murmured, his fingertips playing around a strange, hickey-like bruise that ran around the teen's earlobe. Hayner batted his hand away playfully, curling in on himself and rolling over to look up at Seifer's baby-blues.

"We still need to go to court, don't we?" Hayner seemed to begging Seifer to say no, but, as was becoming a horribly unbreakable habit, it was impossible to lie to this boy.

"You have to go in front of a judge, yes, and explain that you're old enough to make your own decision. I can't come with you. I'll be right there." he added as Hayner's fingers intertwined with his own and the boy pulled up to place his lips against Seifer's in a pure, chaste kiss.

"And, afterwards...?"

"We'll get married, Hayner, I swear it. If we have to drive for a year to find a place to do it, we'll get married." He swore, wanting nothing more than to have a legal claim on the love of his life. That alone seemed to calm his younger counterpart down significantly; Hayner smiled and nestled himself against Seifer, laying his head against a strong, muscular shoulder, their legs entangling without a second thought.

"Love you," Hayner yawned, burrowing in against Seifer's neck.

"Love you more." Seifer replied as he looped his arms around the teen and listening to him fall asleep.

* * *

"Hayner Aikou, you are eighteen years of age, correct?"

"Y-yes, your Honor, a week ago today." Hayner stuttered, unable to keep eye contact with the intense judge. She nodded as if pleased with his answer, shuffling through papers on her desk.

"And… Mr. Jackson, you are Hayner's blood father, yes?"

"Of course I am!" Hayner's father roared, clearly enraged at the thought that someone would doubt his word. "Your Honor, I'm sorry, but why can't I just take Hayner home with me?"

"Mr. Jackson, there are two very valid reasons that you cannot simply take Hayner with you, the first being that I'm not able to evaluate your skills as a father. You abandoned Hayner when he was-" she glanced down to her papers for a moment, flipping through them. "When he was two years old. And now you come back nearly seventeen years later, staking a claim on this boy?" She rose a brow disbelievingly, giving him a smile that openly said, 'Dude, you've been caught. Give it up.'

"And secondly, Hayner is now eighteen years old, which means that he is legally an adult, and may choose to live wherever he wishes. You have no authority over his life anymore, so I suggest you return to your old city. Hayner Aikou is not required to go with Mr. Jackson. Court adjourned!" The smack of the gavel rang out in the almost empty courtroom, before a chorus of cheers and whistles broke out behind Hayner.

The brown-eyed boy turned around with an ecstatic grin, scanning over Roxas, Pence and Olette's heads.

"Congratulations, Hayner!" Olette cried, running forward to embrace her friend.

"Thank you, Olette." Hayner replied, still searching. "Sorry, but have you seen Seifer? He promised me that he'd be here…"

--

_Hayner stood in the doorway, glancing out into the hallway and back to Seifer repeatedly, clearly unsure of what to do._

"_Hayner, go! You're going to be late." Seifer chuckled, embracing the young adult around one shoulder._

"_You _promise_ that you're coming?" Hayner whispered, anxiety pulsing through his veins._

"_Of course, Hayner! I wouldn't miss if for the world. I just have to clean up here. You'll know I'm there when the Judge shoots a dirty look towards the doorway when I come in late." _

_Hayner sighed and pushed up to press his lips hungrily against Seifer's before slipping out the door and closing it after him._

--

"No, Hayner, I haven't." Olette replied, turning to gaze around the room. Hayner whipped his head towards the door before roughly shoving away from the cloying crowds and out into the silent hallway, and then racing out into the street.

He turned sharply down the block, sliding on the slick cement and falling unto his hands before scrambling back up. Everyone around him was yelling out, reaching to stop him, trying to figure out what a boy of his age could be running that quickly from. But he wasn't running _from _anything.

His palms stung in the biting early morning air, blood leaking out and causing his white-knuckle fists to become slippery. The red liquid dripped from between his fingers, leaving a macabre trail of breadcrumbs.

Hayner sprinted into the building lobby, bashing into one unfortunate person in his rush to the elevator. His hands left bloody stains on the doors and walls as he pounded on the top-floor button, unsure of why he felt this anxious. As the elevator slowly moved upward, he tried to calm himself by taking deep, relaxing breaths. Seifer was fine… he'd probably lost track of time, or… fallen asleep, or something.

As he exited the elevator, the first thing that Hayner noticed was that the suite door was open. While it wasn't like Seifer to leave the door open _ever_, Hayner let is slide.

"Seifer?" he called, wandering down the undisturbed and uninhabited living room. A muted thud followed by a loud oath caused the teen's ears to perk up and quietly walk down the hallway, hand shaking when he reached out and pushed open the door to Seifer's room.

"Seifer!" he exclaimed, taking an automatic step back. The man was pushed up against the opposite wall, blood soaking through long horizontal cuts through his shirt and jeans, blood flowing openly from his nose and mouth. Before he could register who was standing there with Seifer, the teen yanked his phone from the side table and dialed 9-1-1, barely able to get a word in before time slowed to a crawl.

"Hayner!" Seifer roared, and the blonde's head came up to see Rake stalking angrily towards him, a long knife, glinting in the cold morning light with red blood held tight in his grip. His free hand reached up and pulled tight on Hayner's hair, dragging the boy up and against the wall, drawing he knife against Hayner's throat and drawing a single drop of blood.

"I'm not going to kill you," he murmured venomously at Hayner's ear, tongue shooting out and lapping at the teen's earlobe. "I think I've done enough to your little fuck buddy over there. Besides," he paused, reached down, and grabbed roughly – and painfully – at the front of Hayner's pants. Hayner gasped and hissed in his pain. "You're too good of a slut to kill."

And in the space of a second, he was on the floor, phone dangling on its cord as the bedroom door slammed shut. There was a soft exhalation as Seifer slumped to floor and coughed, blood spurting from his lips and nose with the action.

"Seifer!" Hayner whispered again, his voice practically gone. "What…" He pulled himself up unto his knees and crawled pathetically over to his fiancé, hands hovering awkwardly as he tried to think of what to do.

"Hayner…?" Seifer choked out, eyes searching until he connected gazes. "He was pissed, because we told the cops on him." He managed to get out the gist of the words before he succumbed to a horrific coughing fit. Unsure of how else to solve the problem, Hayner pressed his lips to Seifer's and, without a hesitant thought, laved away at any blood around his jaw using his tongue. Seifer moaned and tried to dominate the moment, pushing up on his elbows only to fall back with a loud oath of pain.

"Mr. Almasy?" a voice called out, and the two had barely enough time to disconnect their faces before a group of cops and paramedics entered the room, immediately pushing Hayner out of the way and attending to Seifer. They swooped him up unto a stretcher – where did that come from? – And he was taken from the room. At this point Hayner pushed himself up and stumbled after them and into the elevator.

"Are you family?" a gruff man asked, pushing Hayner out from the small space.

"I'm his boyfriend, and I won't leave him!" Hayner shouted, grabbing hold of Seifer's reaching hand and shoving his way back in just as the doors closed.

* * *

When Seifer opened his eyes, he had absolutely no idea where he was. The only thing that grounded him was the feeling of a warm hand in his. He turned to see Hayner, who sat on a chair beside him, a lame band-aid laying over his Adam's apple.

"Hayner?" he croaked, surprised by how rough his throat felt.

"Hey there, sexy." Hayner chuckled, leaning in and connecting their lips in a teasing kiss, not nearly as long or hard, as Seifer would have liked. But he was unable to move, thanks to IV's, and whatever drug was in him made his extremities feel like melted rubber.

"Are you okay?" he whispered, shakily lifting his hand and having more than enough trouble guiding it to Hayner's cheek.

"I'm _fine_ Seifer. You, on the other hand, now have many more scars in lots of… interesting places."

Wait. Was Hayner making a sexual reference, in a very crude and naïve way?

"Where-"

"You're in the local Hospital, Seifer. You lost a lot of blood, actually," Hayner's face constricted and darkness flittered across momentarily. "They stitched you up, though, and you're right as rain, now." He grinned, causing Seifer's heart to constrict and butterflies to explode within the confines of his stomach. And, much to his chagrin, the steady pattern of the Electro Cardiogram broke into a frenzied rhythm for a moment before it returned to a calm, even tempo. His face bloomed into a hot red blush, which he was only conscious of because of how Hayner erupted into uncontrolled guffaws.

"How did the court case go?" Seifer asked, quickly changing the topic.

"Oh, right! I'm free, Seifer, I'm an adult now!" He exclaimed, throwing his arms gently around his lover's neck. "And, remember our deal…" he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Shut up, chicken-wuss," Seifer grumbled, pulling Hayner unto him and engaging in such violently sensual acts that the nurses actually came in to make sure that Seifer hadn't had a heart attack. Needless to say, they were… surprised.

--

* * *

**Epilogue:**

Seifer and Hayner were married on the coast; on the exact outcropping that was originally Seifer's thinking spot, two months after they were allowed to go home from the hospital. Neither were dressed in tuxes, they simply wore nice, button-down shirts and dress pants.

Olette, Pence, Roxas, Rai and Fuu served as witnesses, while a privately hired minister wed the two in the quiet, romantic ceremony. Hayner found his mother and father's rings in the safe deposit box, one month after Seifer was released to go home. When the command was given, and as each recited their vows, they gently pressed the fingers unto the respected fingers, never wavering in their intense eye contact.

They were already beginning to lean forward as the right part of the ceremony came along, their foreheads tapping together as they stared deeply into each other's eyes, before engaging in a deep, powerful kiss. Everyone – including Grumpy – exploded with applause and cheers, and then wolf-whistles as the kiss deepened, Hayner being the one who finally pushed back and gulped down a lungful of air, causing everyone to break into warm laughter, a warm blush working it's way over Hayner's face as he buried himself at Seifer's chest, the sound of his partner's heartbeat thrumming strongly in his ear.

"I love you," Hayner whispered, closing his eyes.

"Ditto- forever," Seifer replied, and placed a chaste kiss on the top of Hayner's head.


End file.
